Just Won't Die 13:
by OneShot
Summary: Ranma suddenly finds himself reliving his childhood from the moment of his curse. Needing a way to get home, the only thing Ranma can do is wait until Happousai's arrival in order to get the nanban mirror.


Jeffrey "OneShot" Wong

Just Won't Die 13: Ranma

This fic takes place right before the end of 'Just Won't Die Asuka' during the time when Ranma said "Man, you won't believe where I've been the past few months"

Ranma, expecting to reappear back home, felt a sensation of panic as he suddenly found himself unable to breath, submerged under water. He had no idea how he got there in the first place, but he knew that he had to quickly surface or he would risk drowning. His instincts kicked in as he quickly swam upward toward the surface. "What the hell just happened?" Ranma muttered as he surfaced.  
"Oh no, you fall in Nyanichuan," he heard a voice.  
Ranma looked in the direction of the voice, his gaze coming to rest on a familiar looking face, a face he hadn't seen in decades. He found himself looking at the familiar face of a Chinese man he remembered labeling as 'The Chinese Guide'.  
Sensing another presence, he looked upward where he caught sight of a giant panda standing on top of a bamboo pole.  
"Whoa, this reminds me of when I was in Jusenkyo," Ranma felt like he was experiencing d j vu. He remembered a scene similar to this, during the time he had fallen into the Nyanichuan spring in Jusenkyo and had surfaced and discovered he was a woman and was clad in a dogi.  
He looked down at himself, toward his chest.  
"What the?" Ranma's eyes widened as he realized he had breast.  
"You fall in Nyanichuan," The Chinese Guide said, "It very tragic story of young girl who drown in spring one thousand five hundred years ago. Now, whoever fall in spring take on body of young girl,"  
"What didja say?" Ranma asked.  
"You fall in Nyanichuan-" the man began.  
"Nyanichuan?" Ranma was surprised.  
Ranma remained floating where he was for a moment, trying to collect his thoughts.  
How the hell did I end up here, he wondered. Skuld, now that she's God, was supposed to send Urd and I back home but it seems like I ended up-  
"Holy shit, I'm in the past!" Ranma's eyes widened.  
"What was that, sir?" the man asked.  
Ranma quickly climbed out of the spring and got to his feet. He glanced over toward the giant panda as it jumped off one of the many bamboo poles sticking out of the many springs located around him and landed right by the two of them.  
"Dad?" Ranma asked, wondering if what he was experiencing was some kind of dream.  
The panda had this shocked look on his face as he seemed to be trying to say something to the Chinese Guide.  
"We must go back to my house," The Chinese Guide said, "You both are cursed. I need to splash you with warm water to bring you back to original form. Follow me,"  
The Chinese Guide started walking off.  
Ranma realized something, "Wait,"  
"Yes?" the man turned toward him.  
"Which one spring here is the Nanichuan?" Ranma asked, jerking a thumb over his back. He remembered having found out a long time ago which one it was, during the time he went back in time to prevent the Nerima Massacre, but he had forgotten over the years.  
The Chinese Guide pointed toward the spring right next to the one from which Ranma had surfaced, "It that spring. Why you ask?"  
Ranma jumped into the spring and surfaced, now back in his original form. When he surfaced, he looked at himself and noticed that it looked like he was in a younger body now, the body of a healthy young boy of around sixteen.  
"Man, I'm a fucking moron when I was young," Ranma muttered to himself, "I could've cured myself right then and there had I bothered to figure out how to cure my curse instead of getting dragged back to China,"  
Ranma turned toward the giant panda, an angry look on his face, "You! You're the one that made me go through all that because you dragged me back to Japan!"  
Ranma did nothing though. Seeing the panda brought back old memories of his father, a father he had lost early in his life.  
The panda looked at Ranma with confusion. "Sir, you should jump into Nanichuan, it will cure you like your son," the Chinese Guide stated.  
The panda nodded and jumped into spring. Ranma watched as his father resurfaced.  
"That was a good idea, boy," his father, Genma, said, "I was worried we would be cursed forever erk-"  
Caught up with emotions, Ranma embraced his father tightly, "I missed you!"  
Genma look down at his son, confused. After a moment, Ranma let go, wiping a tear from his eyes.  
"What's wrong with you, boy?" Genma asked.  
"Um, nothing," Ranma smiled softly, "I guess I got caught up in the moment,"  
"Now both of you cured," the Chinese Guide stated.  
Ranma turned toward the man and smirked, "Yeah, it seems like we are,"  
"Like I say before, this very dangerous place," the man stated, "It best you not train here,"  
Ranma smiled.  
"Y'know what? That's a good idea,"

"I'm in the past," Ranma talked to himself as he walked along a dirt trail somewhere in China, his father and the Chinese Guide were walking not that far behind, "I think Skuld messed up conjuring the portal that would send Urd and I back home. Instead, I ended up in my past in my old body. What the heck does that mean? How the hell do I get home from here?"  
"That was a good plan, boy," Genma stated, "I would've never have thought of jumping into the Nanichuan to cure our curse,"  
"No shit," Ranma said. "What did you say?" Genma seemed to find Ranma's language vulgar.  
"Um, no duh, old man," Ranma rephrased.  
"We should head back to China now," Genma stated, "I think we have been on a training mission for long enough and it is about time we head back,"  
Genma's stomach rumbled. He turned toward the Chinese Guide, "I'm hungry, is there a place to eat around here?"  
"Joketsuzoku is nearby," the Chinese Guide said, "We can stop there and ask for provisions,"  
Ranma snapped his fingers, "That's how I'll get back home. I'll just steal the nanban mirror from there and use it to get back home," He smiled at himself, "Man, I kick ass. I've been human for no longer than an hour and I'm already kick ass,"  
"What are you talking to yourself about?" Genma asked, "Did you hit your head during that fall into the spring? You keep talking to yourself for some reason,"  
Ranma shrugged.  
"Joketsuzoku nearby," the Chinese Guide said.  
Ranma paused as he caught sight of a familiar looking person standing on a cliff just off to the side of the road. He recognized the figure as none other than the Ryoga of that timeline. "Interesting," Ranma recalled to himself, "I remember fighting and chasing my old man down this road. That's Ryoga and where I most likely accidentally bumped into him and sent him falling down into a spring and got cursed,"  
"You recognize that man standing by the cliff with his back toward us?" Genma noticed Ranma regarding Ryoga.  
After a moment, Ranma shook his head.  
"Nah. Let's keep going and not disturb him,"  
Ranma, Genma, and the Chinese Guide walked down a dirt path that lead right through the village of Joketsuzoku. Once again, Ranma couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia as he remembered walking down this dirt trail, gazing around toward the wooden huts located to either side of him.  
He didn't remember much about Joketsuzoku, Ranma not having been to the village in decades. Actually, he had forgotten much about what had happened there. He remembered he met Shampoo there, but he couldn't quite remember how.  
"How did Shampoo and I meet?" Ranma scratched his head.  
"This village women very strong," he overheard the Chinese Guide telling Genma.  
"What's that noise I hear?" Genma asked.  
"They show their skill now," the man replied, "They having competition to see who strongest warrior in the village. Winning martial arts show is good honor,"  
Ranma followed them as the noise grew louder and louder. Before long, the came across a large group of villagers gathered around two combatants as they battled one another as they stood on top of a log.  
He recognized one of the combatants as none other than Shampoo.  
"Oh yeah, now I remember," Ranma snapped his fingers, "I was in my cursed form and I ate the winner's food and she challenged me and I beat her,"  
Ranma glanced over where he saw his father sitting down in front of a table loaded with food, happily stuffing his mouth.  
"Oh fuck!" the blood drained from Ranma's face and he looked toward this father, realizing his dad was eating the food that was to be given to the winner of the martial arts competition. He quickly ran over to where Genma was and grabbed him by the shirt collar, "You goddamn fool, do you have any idea what you just did?"  
"What? What did I do?" Genma asked innocently.  
At that moment, a beautiful purple haired woman approached the group and said something in Chinese. She pointed her weapon toward Genma, Genma stopping his eaten when he realized the woman's attention was on him.  
"She asking 'What are you doing?'," the Guide translated, a nervous look on his face.  
Ranma burst out laughing when he realized that Shampoo's attention was on Genma and not him. He also realized that he hadn't been eating and that Genma had been the only one eating the food that was meant for the winner of the martial arts tournament.  
"Hahahaha, you're screwed, old man,"  
Ranma grumbled to himself as he stood on the log, Shampoo standing on the log as well. Many female villagers were shouting happily toward Shampoo, blushes on all of their faces. This annoyed Ranma because it was obvious that the females of the village seemed to find Ranma attractive and was basically judging a book by its cover.  
"Why the hell am I being challenged?" Ranma muttered toward the Chinese Guide.  
"She no want to fight your father," the man replied, "She sense that he strong and don't want to lose to him and have to marry him. It Amazon law that any female that lose to a male outsider must marry him,"  
"That still don't make sense why I hafta fight?" Ranma said.  
"Had your father not said that you were a better candidate for fighting, she probably would've left you alone," the Guide said.  
Ranma glared toward Genma as he gave him a shy smile as he stood near the log.  
Shampoo said something in Chinese that basically meant 'Are you ready?'  
Ranma shrugged and nodded, "Whatever,"  
Shampoo began to charge toward Ranma, intent on initiating the first attack. However, she came to a sliding halt as Ranma quickly dropped to his hands and knees.  
"I give up," Ranma said. He had no intention of fighting Shampoo. Actually, what he wanted to do was hug Shampoo and tell him how much he missed her but he didn't want to cause a misunderstanding.  
There was nothing but silence, all the female villagers shocked that such a powerful fighter, all of them having sensed that he was extremely powerful fighter, would so readily give up.  
Ranma got back up to his feet, "You win. I give up,"  
Shampoo said something in Chinese.  
"What did she say?" Ranma asked.  
"She not accept your surrender," Guide translated.  
"What? That's a buncha bull," Ranma said, "Why not?"  
The Guide said something to Shampoo as she replied back.  
"She say she sense you formidable opponent and wish to have formidable opponent to fight against," the Guide said.  
"Hell no," Ranma said, "I know exactly what's gonna happen. I'm gonna accidentally defeat her and she's gonna comes chasing after me trying to marry me. I've been enough crap to know that something like that is definitely gonna happen if I try something as stupid as defeating her. Tell her I have no intention of fighting,"  
The Guide said something to Shampoo as she replied back one again.  
"I told her you have no intention of fighting," the Guide said, "She said that that is not good enough,"  
Ranma hopped off the log and began walking away, "Tell her 'tough shit', of whatever kinda Chinese translated equivalent,"  
"Ranma, you must fight her," Genma said.  
"What?" Ranma asked.  
"I will not allow my son to back down from a challenge," Genma said.  
Ranma laughed, "Riiiight,"  
He began walking, heading in the direction of an elderly woman balancing on a staff. He recognized her when he was looking around while on the log. He wanted to ask her something.  
"Hey, Cologne," Ranma grinned, knowing Cologne knew Japanese.  
"How do you know my name?" Cologne was surprised.  
"You wouldn't happen to have the nanban mirror on ya, would ya?" Ranma asked politely, still grinning.  
Cologne regarded the man with a scrutinizing gaze, her surprise indicating that Ranma had her off-guard, what with the fact that he seemed to know her name and the existence of the nanban mirror.  
"And why should I tell you?" Cologne asked, having no intention of divulging information to a stranger, "Especially to someone like yourself wouldn't accept a challenge from my great-granddaughter, even though I, and everyone else here, know you're a martial artist,"  
Ranma thought about something for a moment.  
"I've got a deal for you," Ranma said, coming up with a plan.  
"A deal? What kind of deal?" Cologne perked an eyebrow.  
"I'll challenge your great-granddaughter in exchange that you tell me where the nanban mirror is," Ranma suggested. Once he got his hands on the nanban mirror, he would be off that world. Now that he thought about it, it really didn't matter what he did to that world so long as he got the nanban mirror. Of course, even if that was the case, he had no intention of screwing this world up in the process simply for his own amusement.  
Cologne smirked, "Very well,"  
Ranma was surprised that Cologne accepted the deal. He regarded her suspiciously. After a moment, he shrugged.  
He turned around and walked back toward the log, hopping back on it.  
"Let's fight," Ranma grinned, getting into a battle stance.  
Shampoo, noticing the battle stance and realizing that Ranma intended to fight her.  
She gripped her weapons tightly, a smile on her face, curious as to how amazing a fighter this stranger was, wondering if he was the one, the one that would defeat her and she would marry. Ranma dashed forward, grabbing Shampoo before she had a chance to react. Before she knew what was really happening, she looked down and saw one of her opponent's hand on her right breast.  
"Have a nice sleep," Ranma smiled.  
Shampoo dropped her bonboris and slumped forward, her sleep pressure point pressed, Ranma catching her before she could fall off the log. He hoisted her up in his arms and turned toward Cologne as she gazed toward him, a stunned look on her face.  
"What was that, boy?" Genma said in astonishment. He had never seen his son move so fast before nor was he able to see exactly what kind of technique Ranma had used to incapacitate his opponent so quickly and easily.  
Ranma ignored his father.  
He hopped off the log and walked over to Cologne.  
"Well, I kept my end of the deal," Ranma said, "I fought your great-  
granddaughter. Now it's your turn to keep your end of the deal,"  
Cologne reached out a hand and pressed a pressure point on Shampoo's unconscious body. Within seconds, Shampoo woke back up.  
"That was mighty impressive," Cologne said to Ranma, "What is your name?"  
"Ranma Saotome," Ranma figured there was nothing wrong with telling her since he would be disappearing the moment he got his hands on the nanban mirror.  
"What technique was that?" Cologne asked, noticing that he had used some form of pressure point technique very similar to the kinds of high-level pressure point techniques she used from time to time.  
"Anything Goes Martial Arts," Ranma said proudly, "Anyway-"  
"Ranma Saotome of Anything Goes Martial Arts," Cologne said, "I'll be sure to remember that,"  
"Anyway," Ranma said, "I kept my end of the deal, now it's your turn to keep your end of the deal,"  
"Wo Ai Ni," Shampoo said, realizing that Ranma seemed to have defeated her. Afterall, why else would she be in Ranma's arms without her weapons. Ranma had defeated her and now that only meant one thing, that she was now obligated to marry this man. Shampoo kissed Ranma passionately, having no qualms about having to marry such a wonderful and amazing person. Ranma's eyes widened as he found himself being glomped and being choked as Shampoo wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. He quickly placed her down on her feet, needing his arms to free himself. "Jeez," Ranma said, "Get a grip on yourself,"  
Shampoo said some Chinese toward him, a blush on her cheeks, the look of love in her eyes. This creeped out Ranma because it was the exact same look she gave him decades ago, when he had accidentally defeated her when he broke that bonbori of hers and it ended up hitting her on her head and knocking her out.  
Ranma quickly turned toward Cologne, "I kept my end of the deal, now it's your turn,"  
Cologne said, "I guess you're right,"  
"Where's the nanban mirror?" Ranma asked.  
"It's not here," Cologne smirked, "A man named Happousei stole it many many years ago. I have no idea where his whereabouts is,"  
The blood drained from Ranma's face.  
"You've gotta be shittin' me,"

"Where's Happousei?" Ranma asked Genma as they both ran from Joketsuzoku. The entire Amazon village was chasing them, intent of getting Ranma back so that he could marry the lucky Shampoo.  
"I have no idea," Genma seemed visibly scared.  
"Don't lie, old man," Ranma was angry, "It's because of you I'm in this goddamn mess,"  
"I told you, I have no idea," Genma said, "And how do you know who Happousei is?"  
"You think I'm stupid?" Ranma said coldly, "I know he used to be your master. Where the hell is he?"  
"I said I don't know," Genma said, "My old friend and I buried him. I can't remember where,"  
Ranma took a glance toward Genma's eyes. After a moment, he realized that Genma was telling the truth, that he really didn't remember where he buried Happousei. Of course, Ranma had the ability to read a person's soul and knowing this about them that even they didn't know or remember by looking deeply into their eyes.  
It seemed like Genma had forgotten that he and Soun had buried Happousei deeply within the side of a mountain that was located.  
"Why are you interested in finding the evil man named Happousei?" Genma asked nervously.  
"He has something I need," Ranma said.  
"What?" Genma asked.  
"Don't worry about it,"

Ranma couldn't help but feel nervous as he stood in front of the Tendo Home.  
It had rained earlier in the day and both he and Genma were soaking wet but neither of them seemed to mind.  
"You ever notice Nerima seems to have this odd propensity for raining at the most inconvenient times?" Ranma asked Genma.  
"Huh?" Genma asked, wondering what 'propensity' meant and since when Ranma managed to pick up vocabulary words. There was something odd about Ranma, as if him falling into that spring had somehow changed him. He seemed both vulgar and educated at the same time, an odd combination.  
Ranma looked at the Tendo's front door and smiled. Seeing the old house sure brought back memories. Of course, they were sad memories, but Ranma had moved on that those memories didn't have as much an emotional effect on him.  
Over time, the pain of his past had waned to nothing more than a slight ache and having those old memories brought into light, although painful, wasn't as painful as he figured they would be.  
Genma reached out and knocked on the door.  
After a minute, the door opened to reveal a face familiar to Ranma. It was none other than Soun Tendo. "Ah, Genma, old friend, you're finally here," Soun smiled happily, "And you must be Ranma,"  
Ranma smiled warmly. It was really nice to see Soun again. He had missed him. Of course, Ranma had enough control that he didn't feel the need to just hug him uncontrollably. "Yeah, I'm Ranma," Ranma said politely.  
"Please, come in," Soun said, "My three daughters are eager to meet you,"  
"Lead the way," Ranma smiled, eager to see Akane and Nabiki and Kasumi.  
They followed Soun into the house, walking down a hallway where they entered the dining area. In there were Akane, Nabiki, and Kasumi.  
"These are my three daughters," Soun gestured, "Kasumi, nineteen years old. Nabiki, seventeen years old. And Akane, sixteen years old,"  
"Yo," Ranma smiled.  
"So, you're Ranma, huh?" Akane asked, scrutinizing him.  
Ranma nodded, "Yeah,"  
He couldn't help but stare at Akane. She looked so different from the Akane he knew. She looked very young and he had forgotten what she looked like. She looked very cute with long hair.  
"My dad mentioned you did martial arts," Akane said, blushing slightly after noticing Ranma seemed to be paying keen attention to her.  
Oddly enough, Nabiki and Kasumi noticed Ranma staring for a bit.  
"Most of my life," Ranma nodded, turning his attention away, not aware that he had been staring, "We just got back from China," "Akane does martial arts," Nabiki commented, "Why don't you and her spar?"  
"Not interested," Ranma said.  
He was speaking the truth. He had gotten up to a point in martial arts that he no longer cared to fight anymore. He knew he was a good fighter and that was what mattered. He no longer needed to spar to against someone to prove himself a good fighter.  
"Why not?" Nabiki persisted.  
"I think fighting should be reserved to protecting yourself or someone else," Ranma grinned. He turned toward Akane, "Dontcha think?"  
"Um, yeah," Akane said.  
Ranma smiled. That sounded like a good enough of a bullshit answer to keep her from wanting to spar against him to see how good a fighter he was. Frankly, he didn't want to fight anymore, ever. He had fought enough in his life that never fighting again would be too soon.  
"You two must be tired from the trip here," Kasumi got up from where she was sitting, "I'll go start the bath for you two,"  
"No thanks," Ranma said, "I'll do it myself,"  
"If you'd like," Kasumi smiled warmly, gesturing, "The bathroom is down the hallway,"  
"Thanks," Ranma walked off.

Ranma sat in the bathtub, wondering what he should do.  
It felt nice to take a bath. It soothed his sore body. And boy, did he have a sore body. He wasn't used to his body. His body didn't quite move in the way he was used to. He was used to possessing a body of inhuman strength and agility, a highly tuned human body. The body he was in was pathetically weak and slow compared to the body he was used to.  
"Man, it's probably gonna take a while to get used to being human," Ranma said to himself.  
He was glad he remembered his training. Although he was basically physically handicapped, his martial art skills could easily compensate for it. Ranma looked at his hands, "Hm, I wonder if I can throw ki-blasts like there's no tomorrow,"  
He grinned, curious about finding out. He believed that because he knew how to throw ki-blasts, that meant his body would know how to do so. "Damn, when the heck did Happousei show up?" Ranma asked himself, "Doesn't he show up only a couple of months after my old man and I showed up at the Tendos? Maybe I should just hang around and wait for him,"  
Ranma believed it couldn't hurt to hang around here on this world for a while. He was used to going on adventures and this would be very much like going on an adventure. Of course, this adventure would be very laid back since he knew he didn't have to worry about any world-changing events looming in the near future.  
"Hm, should I stay or shouldn't I?" Ranma asked himself. The problem with staying was that trouble usually followed him around. Even though he had a general idea of the events to come, he was pretty sure it would not happen as he remembered since, well, he was very different from the person he used to be.  
Of course, staying would be fun. In a sense, it would be a way to relive his childhood. He always believed his childhood had been cut short because of the Nerima Massacre and this was a good opportunity to relive it.  
The only thing he had going for him about going to find Happousei now would be him getting back home earlier. Of course, there was no real need to get back home right away. Actually, now that he thought about it, living here for a while would be a whole lot less complicated than back home, what with all those girls after him. "I'll stay, what the heck," Ranma decided on a whim, "It'll be fun. Let's find out what kinda new situations I'll get into or outta now that I'm older and wiser,"  
Ranma decided it was time to get out, that he had been in the bath for long enough.  
As he climbed out of the tub, he feel this dizzying sensation envelop him.  
He staggered as he found the room seemingly spinning around him.  
"Oh shit," Ranma said, realizing that he had been in the bathtub for far too long and suffered heat stroke.  
He staggered around, trying to reach for the door that led to the dressing room. He needed to cool down and fast or he would pass out. It seemed like this body was not used to heat like his old body was. He was definitely not used to this body and needed to exercise caution.  
Using sheer willpower, he managed to stagger out of the bathroom and out into the cool hallway. When a wave of cool air hit him, he suddenly felt his dizziness disappearing.  
"Damn, that feels good," he sighed in relief, leaning against the hallway wall. "Man, it's probably gonna take me a bit to get used to this body," Ranma said to himself.  
At that moment, Akane came walking down the hallway, a towel in her hands. Kasumi had realized there were no guest towels out for Ranma and had asked Akane to drop some towels off in the dressing room for Ranma.  
Akane stopped dead in her tracks when she caught sight of a naked Ranma standing in the hallway. Unfortunately, the shock of seeing Ranma naked made her accidentally trip over her own feet, staggering forward where she ended up bumping into Ranma and falling down, bringing him down with her.  
Akane ended up accidentally kissing Ranma in the process, she landing on top of him. It took a moment for them to realize what had just happened.  
Ranma just lay on his back, looking up at Akane.  
Akane just stared down at him, her eyes wide as she realized she had accidentally given her first kiss to Ranma.  
A terrible blush came across her cheeks as she tried to comprehend what had transpired.  
After a moment, she realized that Ranma was underneath her and that he was completely naked. Ranma noticed the look in her face as it he realized this was the start of a terrible misunderstanding. He knew Akane was going to scream.  
"Eeeeeekkkkkkk!"

Akane glared at Ranma's back as he sat in the porch as she sat in the dining area. Everyone else was in the dining area along with her.  
"Akane, what happened?" Soun asked.  
"Ranma was walking around naked," Akane said angrily, "He seems to have complete disregard for a thing called modesty,"  
"So what?" Ranma retorted, "Why're you getting your panties up in a bunch? YOU saw ME naked. And not only that, YOU kissed ME,"  
"Oh, Akane kissed you? Do tell?" Nabiki smirked, very interested.  
"I did not kiss him! He kissed me!" Akane shouted, blushing beet red.  
Ranma pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming along. How come complications followed him everywhere?  
"Y'know what?" Ranma laid down on his back, staring up at the ceilings, "Say whatever you want. I don't really care,"  
"How come you were naked?" Nabiki asked Ranma.  
"Like I said, he has complete disregard of a thing called modesty," Akane stated.  
Kasumi scratched her chin, "From the way I think of it, I figure you probably wandered into the hallway because you got out of the bathtub after staying in there too long and felt dizzy from heat stroke that you came out into the hallway to cool yourself down,"  
Ranma sat upright to look at Kasumi, a stunned look on his face, "Wow, you're right. That's a really good guess. How'd you know that?"  
"Well, you were in the bathtub for a while," Kasumi said, "It's only natural that you would get dizzy when you climb out of the bathtub after staying in there too long,"  
Ranma turned toward Akane, "Kasumi's right,"  
"Then again, perhaps you do have a complete disregard for a thing called modesty," Kasumi said softly, smiling warmly.  
Ranma fell down to the ground.  
Kasumi glanced at the clock and looked surprised, "Oh my, I forgot to start cooking dinner,"  
Ranma watched as Kasumi got up from where she was sitting and left the went into the kitchen. The thought of being able to eat Kasumi's home cooking made Ranma's mouth watery.  
"I'll come help," Akane got up, curious as to how their new guests might like her cooking.  
Soun became visibly nervous and so did Nabiki.  
Ranma scratched his head, a bit confused. It looked like they were worried about Akane cooking for them which confused him because Akane was a great good.  
Unfortunately, Ranma had completely forgotten that the Akane he knew didn't became an excellent cook until a long time after practicing, well after he and Ryoga had travelled through China and cured themselves of their curse.  
"Um, I just remembered a friend invited me to have dinner at her house," Nabiki said glibly, getting up from her seat and leaving the room.  
"Genma, friend, I believe we should go on a training trip together," Soun said nervously.  
"Ranma and I just got back from one," Genma said dumbly, "Why would I want to go out again on another one? Besides, Ranma and I haven't had a home cooked meal in months,"  
Soun felt guilty as he whispered, "My youngest daughter is helping out with the cook. Let's just say she is very lacking in the areas of cooking,"  
Ranma snapped his fingers as he suddenly remembered. Akane never became a good cook until a long time after the Nerima Massacre, during the time when she and Ranma and Ryoga were wandering China during their decade long training trip. It wasn't until after Ranma and her and Ryoga came back to Japan after having been thought long dead preventing Genom Tower from collapsing.  
"C'mon, how bad could it be?" Genma said, his stomach basically doing the talking for him. He was really hungry and eager to eat a home cooked meal.  
Ranma nudged at Genma, "Pretty bad. You'd probably be better of licking your own asshole,"  
Genma and Soun looked at Ranma.  
"Ranma, show some respect in the Tendo home and keep the obscenities to a minimum," Genma said.  
Soun smiled, "It don't matter. Although Ranma is a bit brash in him way of speaking, it is all a part of his character,"  
"Um, not really," Ranma scratched his head, wondering when or why he actually started speaking more vulgar. He never usually swore so freely when he was young so what made him change?  
"Probably the Nerima Massacre," he said to himself, his words unheard, "Things like that do tend to change people,"  
Ranma got up and headed for the kitchen, "I'll get help the girls out,"  
"What for?" Genma said, "You cooking skills leave a lot to be desired,"  
Ranma smirked, "Perhaps, perhaps not,"  
He was confident of his cooking skills. He was actually an amazing cook. Just because he rarely cooked back home didn't mean he didn't know his way around the kitchen.  
Ranma wandered into the kitchen where he saw Kasumi and Akane standing by the sink, washing some vegetables. His gaze lingered on Kasumi longer than usual.  
Man, now that I've grown older, I never realized how terrific a girl Kasumi is, Ranma thought to himself. He knew he had taken her for granted now that the Kasumi he knew was long gone. She was sweet and caring, two major qualities he liked about women.  
If I had to choose a fiancee between Akane, Nabiki, or Kasumi, I'd choose Kasumi in an instant, Ranma thought. Of course, that will never be the case. Through some stupid stroke of luck, if you can call it luck, I'll end up being paired up with Akane in this world and time. "Why are you in here?" Akane said to Ranma in a cold voice, still upset at him for what had happened shortly before.  
"Maybe I wanna check out both your asses while you stand in front of the stove and sink," Ranma smirked, sitting down in the chair by the table. One thing Ranma could be was very flirtatious. He had a knack of keeping a woman off balance with odd comments.  
"You pervert," Akane turned around. She couldn't help but feel a bit flattered even though the comment was very vulgar.  
"Oh my," Kasumi blushed, blushed.  
Ranma realized that he was in the presence of Kasumi and he should be more respectable and show more manners around her. "Um, I just came in here to help out," Ranma said, "My old man and I are guests at this house and it wouldn't feel right not helping," Of course, the main reason he was there was to prevent Akane from messing up the dish.  
"You know how to cook, Ranma?" Kasumi asked warmly.  
"More or less," Ranma said, "I'd like to help,"  
"We don't really need your help," Akane said, "Kasumi and I will be fine,"  
Ranma feigned hurt feeling, "Oh, really? You don't want my help even though I want to help? I guess I'm not good enough, huh?"  
Akane suddenly regretted having said that, "I didn't mean it like that. It's just that-"  
Kasumi gestured toward some carrots sitting nearby, "If you'd like, how about you clean and cut the carrots?"  
"Sure," Ranma smiled.  
He stepped forward and took a spot between Kasumi and Akane, grabbing a knife and the carrots, placing them on the cutting board. As he stood next to Kasumi, he stole a glance toward her. Wow, she's really pretty, Ranma thought. He knew Kasumi was a pretty girl but he never realized just how pretty she was. There was this mundane prettiness in her that he had never seen in other women before.  
Oddly enough, Ranma was shorter than Kasumi but it didn't seem to bother him one bit. He knew he would eventually grow to be very tall, at least by Japanese standards.  
Man, I must've been a moron when I was this age to not have noticed her like I do now now that I'm older, Ranma thought. Of course, that's probably because I was sixteen then and had the undeveloped mind of a sixteen year old. Kasumi's probably the absolute best person I've ever come across in my life in terms of marriage material.  
"Has anyone every told you you're really pretty, Kasumi?" Ranma had to say, used to saying whatever was on his mind, "Because you really are,"  
"Thank you, Ranma," Kasumi smiled warmly.  
Akane stole a glance toward Ranma, a surprised look on her face. She couldn't help but feel a tinge of jealousy creeping into her for some odd reason.  
What's wrong with me, Akane thought. Why am I getting jealous when I've only known Ranma for around a half hour and we started off definitely on the wrong foot?  
"Got any aspirations?" he asked, already knowing the answers.  
"Well, I've always liked medicine and wanted to work in the field of medicine," Kasumi said, "Of course, that was a long time ago. I don't have time for it anymore since I need to manage this household,"  
Akane stopped what she was doing, she never knew that about Kasumi. It was as if Ranma had somehow stumbled upon some very personal portion of Kasumi's persona.  
"What kinda medicine?" Ranma asked curiously. He wanted to get to know her, feeling that knowing more about the Kasumi he had lost meant he could remember her and everyone else longer. His memories of his lost friends and family had started fading long ago and he had always felt bad that he had started forgetting things about them.  
"I like herbal medicine," Kasumi said, "There is a clinic nearby that I visit on occasions to borrow books on medicine and such,"  
Ranma smiled, realizing that she was talking about Dr. Tofu's clinic. He remembered quite a bit about Dr. Tofu and was looking forward to meeting him. He knew Dr. Tofu was a very powerful martial artist and was eager to spar against him.  
"I only take out books on occasions," Kasumi continued on, "But I really don't have much time to read them since I'm usually busy going out buying for every night's dinner and preparing. Even if that's the case, I'm not unhappy,"  
"Well, I'll be glad to help out with the chores around the house so that you'll have more time on your hands to do what you want," Ranma offered. "That's very kind of you, Ranma," Kasumi smiled sweetly, "But there is no need. The house hold chores aren't all that taxing. I can handle it myself,"  
Ranma was about to be more persistent but decided against it. He was pretty sure Kasumi did enjoy doing house chores and that was one of the things that defined her character. If he helped around the house, he was pretty sure Kasumi would feel like she was losing a sense of purpose living at home. Afterall, she was nineteen and should be in college like most girls her age.  
Ranma felt a stab of pain as he looked down and realized he had accidentally cut one of his fingers when he wasn't paying attention cutting the carrots.  
"Oh my, you hurt yourself," Kasumi noticed a trickle of blood running down one of Ranma's fingers.  
"Don't worry, it's superficial," Ranma said, "It's just a scratch,"  
Kasumi reached into the pocket of her apron and pulled out a band-aid, "Here, let me put this band-aid over the wound,"  
"Um, thanks," Ranma held his hand forward for Kasumi to address. As Kasumi held his hand to put the band-aid on, he noticed how tender Kasumi's hands felt. This surprised him because he figured they would be rough from constantly doing chores.  
"Nice hands," Ranma said.  
"Pardon?" Kasumi looked up at Ranma.  
"Y've got nice hands," Ranma stated, "You must take real good care of 'em,"  
"Thank you," Kasumi smiled warmly.  
Ranma watched as Kasumi addressed the tiny cut on his fingers, a bit awed at how gracious Kasumi accepted compliments. That was something he definitely remembered about Kasumi, she was sweet and caring and much like a calm port in a rough storm. Heh, I wonder what will happen if I press Kasumi's Big-O pressure point, Ranma smirked. That would make for quite an interesting scene. After a moment, he banished the thought. What the hell am I thinking? This is sweet, loveable Kasumi. If I did something like that, it would probably alter her personality into something like Misato's. That's just wrong. "Do I have something on my face?" Kasumi touched her face, "I notice you've been staring at me quite a bit,"  
Ranma blushed, "Oh, sorry. I guess I couldn't help it,"  
Kasumi giggled. Akane said nothing, seemingly transfixed at watching the scene unfolding before her.  
Ranma returned to cutting the carrots.  
"All right, let's get started with dinner,"  
Ranma leaned against the doorjamb of the dojo, peering in. Seeing the old dojo sure brought back memories, of all those times he had trained in there where he was young. "You and Kasumi seem to get along fine," came Akane's voice from behind.  
"Yeah, I like her," Ranma said, "She's a sweet girl,"  
Akane regarded Ranma's back. To her, Ranma seemed to possess a sense of maturity not evident in normal sixteen year olds. Sure, there was a sense of vulgarity to him that she found annoying, but this mundane aura he exuded seemed to interest her.  
"You act a lot older than you seem," Akane said. She noticed Ranma spoke to Kasumi like a full grown adult, not some bumbling teenager, usually awkward with conversations with women at that age.  
Ranma smiled as he turned toward her, "I'll take that as a compliment," Of course, losing one's friends and family in one fell swoop tend to make people grow up real fast.  
"Do you like her?" Akane asked, somewhat nervous.  
"What's there not to like about her?" Ranma asked.  
"I guess you have a point," Akane said.  
Ranma decided to change the subject, "So, you train in here a lot?"  
"Yes," Akane said, "Um, so, whatcha think of dinner?"  
"It was pretty good," Ranma said.  
"What do you think of the dish I made?" Akane asked, "You know, the dumplings,"  
"Y'want me to be nice or tell the truth?" Ranma asked.  
"The truth," Akane said. "It tasted kinda bad," Ranma said truthfully.  
"What? How dare you!" Akane became suddenly angry.  
Ranma showed no signs of being intimidated by her anger, "Why the hell're ya getting angry at me? You asked for the truth,"  
Akane took several breaths to calm herself down, "Why did you find it bad?"  
"It tasted really bad," Ranma shrugged, "Even though I helped out, you must've accidentally done something to it that made it taste that way, as if you accidentally put in the wrong spices or tried to use one ingredient to substitute another ingredient,"  
"I tried really hard, y'know," Akane said, hurt.  
Ranma's lips became a thin line. She did have a point. She had been trying her best with the dish was had prepared. It was most unfortunate that her best left a lot to be desired.  
"Look, I know you tried your hardest," Ranma said, "It's just that you need practice. If you want, I'll teach you how to cook,"  
"Really?" Akane asked. She noticed that Ranma was an excellent cook. That dish of curry he made was delicious.  
Ranma shrugged, "Yeah. You make mistakes in the kitchen when you're cooking. I'll just watch over you to make sure you don't make mistakes and you should be fine. You have the potential to become a great cook, but you just need practice,"  
"Really?" Akane blushed.  
"Yeah, everyone has to start somewhere," Ranma said, "Heck, I started off as a bad cook as well. Over time, you'll get better, provided you learn from your mistakes,"  
Akane said nothing. Ranma had a point.  
"If you ever wanna cook, lettme know and I'll help out," Ranma said, "However, if you don't, don't get angry at me for choose to not eat your food if it turns out bad,"  
"Um, okay," Akane said, "That sounds like a reasonable deal,"  
"Wanna show me some katas?" Ranma asked, wanting to change the subject. He was curious to see how well she did her katas, curious as to how far along the Akane he knew had come in terms of martial arts. In terms of pure martial arts, the Akane he knew was the most skilled martial artist in the world. Akane looked a bit nervous, like she didn't like the thought of someone scrutinizing her. She had a funny feeling Ranma was a very powerful martial artist. There was an aura to him that she sense similar to Dr. Tofu's.  
"How about you show me some of your katas?" Akane asked.  
Ranma smiled, "I asked you first,"  
Akane contemplated doing katas in front of Ranma. She was pretty confident of herself as a martial artist but wondered how she was compared to a martial artist like Ranma.  
"If you want, I can teach you," Ranma offered, "I'm a really good teacher,"  
Actually, Ranma was best known in his world as being the ultimate sensei. He was just as good at teaching martial arts as he was in the ways of martial arts. His training methods were unorthodox but no one complained, especially when every student that graduated from his school usually became champion martial artists.  
"How about we spar?" Akane asked, "I'm really curious as to how good a martial artist you are,"  
Ranma shook his head, "No thanks,"  
At that moment, the both of them heard Soun calling out for them from the house.  
"Hm, I wonder what your old man wants," Ranma scratched his head.  
"I'm not too sure," Akane shrugged.  
Akane and Ranma left the dojo and went into the house. Inside, they saw everyone sitting in the dining area around the table.  
Soun gestured toward the an empty seat next to him, "Akane, please, have a seat,"  
"What's this about?" Akane asked, sitting down.  
Soun turned toward Ranma as Ranma looked at them curiously, much like Akane.  
"We have decided," Soun said, placing a hand on Genma's shoulder.  
"Decided what?" Ranma asked.  
"We have decided that Akane shall be you fiancee," Soun said, "You two are the same age and would make a fine couple,"  
"What?" Akane's eyes were wide with surprise.  
Ranma pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming.  
"Man, the more things change, the more they stay the same,"

Ranma took stripped off all of his clothes as his father gave him a rather confused look.  
"What are you doing?" Genma asked.  
"I'm taking off all my clothes," Ranma replied.  
"Why?" Genma asked. Even though he was Ranma's father, he didn't particularly care to see his son naked.  
Ranma, once stark naked, climbed into his futon, "I like sleeping naked,"  
"Since when?" Genma asked.  
"Since around the time I fell into the Nyanichuan spring," Ranma smirked. He had no idea when he preferred to sleep naked but he preferred it. It was more comfortable. Of course, it usually created quite a bit of anarchy since he sometimes had a tendency of waking up at night to use the bathroom and never bothered to get dressed to do so.  
Everyone that lived in his house, Luna and Lina as well whenever they visited, had seen him naked at some point in time.  
"Suit yourself," Genma shrugged, lying down in his futon.  
Ranma got into his futon.  
"So, how did you like your first day?" Genma asked.  
Ranma smirked, remembering his father asking him that exact same question long long ago in his past, on the night of his first night at the Tendo's.  
"I like this place," Ranma said, already saying something different than back then. Back then, he said that he had no intention of staying around, him intent on going back to China to find a cure.  
"I'm glad you liked it," Genma stated, "It's a good thing we've cured ourselves. It would most likely cause quit a bit of misunderstandings had we not been cured of our curse,"  
Ranma laughed, "You have no idea,"  
Ranma emerged from the house early in the morning, somewhere around five in the morning.  
"Let's start developing my body into the body it's got the potential to be," Ranma told himself, stretching his legs. He intended to jog every morning for as long as he was here. He was very healthy and in excellent shape, but he knew he could be in better shape. As he was about to start off with his morning jog, he heard the door open behind him.  
"R-Ranma?" Akane was surprised to see him.  
"Mornin', Akane, my fiancee," Ranma grinned.  
Akane blushed but suddenly became defensive, "We're not fiancees. This fiancee business was imposed on the both of us by both our fathers,"  
Ranma shrugged, "Okay,"  
"We're not fiancees," Akane said.  
"I know," Ranma said, "No need to tell me twice,"  
"We should go wake our fathers up and tell them we're both in agreement about not wanting to be fiancees," Akane said.  
Ranma said, "Nah,"  
"What?" she asked.  
"Don't bother telling 'em," Ranma said, "Let 'em go on thinking otherwise. Actually, it's better that way, if they think we aren't against the idea, they'll leave us alone,"  
"Leave us alone? What makes you say that?" Akane asked, confused.  
Ranma leaned forward, his face close to Akane, "They'll leave us alone. If they think we're getting along, they'll leave us alone outta fear that their interfering will lead to us calling off the engagement,"  
"But that's basically us lying to them," Akane said.  
"So?" Ranma smirked.  
Akane regarded Ranma as he gave her a mischievous look. After a moment, she giggled. Ranma did make sense. It was their father's crazy idea to try to try and engage them so let it be their father's problems when they realize that their offspring couldn't be so easily manipulated.  
"So, now that we've got that cleared, onto something else," Ranma said, "You going jogging?"  
Akane nodded, "Yes. Every morning. How about you?"  
"Yeah," Ranma nodded, "If y'want, we can go jogging together. How far you usually jog a day,"  
"Around seven miles," she answered, "How about you?"  
"That's pretty good," Ranma stated, "I jog around that much," He actually jogged more than twenty miles a day when he was back in his own world when he we by himself but he never minded having a jogging companion.  
"Well, wanna start?" Ranma asked, beginning to jog in place.  
"Okay," Akane smiled warmly, "Since you're new around here, I'll show you the jogging path I take. The scenery's great,"  
"Cool," Ranma said. He regarded Akane as she stood in front of him in her jogging outfit, a pair of shorts and a tank top. After a moment, he grinned, "Heh, that outfit of yours sure don't leave much to the imagination if y'know what I mean,"  
"Ranma!" Akane blushed with embarrassment. It made her wonder if Ranma was somehow flirting with her. Was that how flirting was?  
Ranma said, "Go, lead the way, I'll watch you from behind,"  
"I don't think so," Akane realized Ranma implied.  
Ranma laughed.  
He placed a hand on Akane's shoulder. To Akane, Ranma's hand felt warm and gave her a tingling sensation. Oddly enough, she didn't shrug away like she usually did whenever a boy touched her. She was pretty sure she hated boys but for some odd reason, Ranma seemed different, unlike normal boys.  
Ranma smiled, "C'mon, let's go,"  
Akane and Ranma went jogging side by side.

Ranma grinned as he stood near the koi pond, waiting for his father to attack. Akane watched in surprise from the porch, a towel around her neck. She and Ranma had gotten back from jogging and she was shocked to see that Ranma had immediate began training against his father.  
"I saw the two of you getting back from jogging this morning," Nabiki smirked, looking up from her bowl of soup. She was clad in her school uniform and was just finishing up her breakfast before heading off to school.  
"Um, yeah," Akane said.  
"You two seem to be getting along," Nabiki said.  
Akane said, "I guess,"  
"Kinda strange, and here I thought you dislike boys," Nabiki stated.  
"I do," Akane said to Nabiki.  
"How's Ranma different?" Nabiki grinned, "You saw him naked, right? Didn't he have something that would classify him as a boy as well?"  
"Nabiki," Akane blushed.  
Nabiki laughed. She finished her soup and excused herself, heading upstairs to get her books to leave.  
Akane turned her attention back toward Ranma and Genma, curious as to who would win the sparring session. To her surprise, Genma was lying in the middle of the koi pond, an embarrassed look on his face.  
"You're getting old, pop," Ranma taunted.  
When Genma had attempted a lunging punch toward him, Ranma sidestepped and tripped him right into the koi pond. He turned away from Genma and began heading into the house.  
"I thought you said you think fighting should be reserved to protecting someone or protecting yourself," Akane smirked, "From what I saw, it seemed like you have no qualms about sparring against your father except for the sake of training,"  
Ranma smiled, "Oh, yeah, that. Well, I guess I should revise that. I'll only fight if it means protecting someone, protecting myself, or I get the chance to beat my old man,"  
Akane giggled. She looked at the clock that hung on the wall and realized what time it was.  
"Oh my god, I'm going to be late," Akane quickly rushed off to take her morning shower and get dressed for school. She hadn't realized what time it was, that she had jogged longer than normal, jogging her usually jogging route but at a slower pace. Perhaps it was because she subconsciously jogged slower since she had indulged in banter with Ranma as they jogged along that whole time and actually enjoyed it.  
Around fifteen minutes elapsed, Ranma sparring against his father several more times before his father decided to call it quits, him having beaten Ranma not even once.  
Ranma headed into the house, feeling the need to rest. He was sweating a bit too.  
"You've gotten much better," Genma said, surprised at how easily his son had defeated him, "Your fighting skills have gotten much better in the past couple of days,"  
Ranma smirked, "Y'have no idea how much better,"  
"Ranma," Genma said, climbing out of the koi pond to approach Ranma, "Starting today, you'll be expected to attend school,"  
Ranma shrugged, "Okay,"  
"It's the same school Akane and I go to," Nabiki said, heading down the hallway.  
"Nabiki, wait," Akane came rushing down the hallway, now clad in her school uniform, "I'll go with you,"  
"What are you talking about?" Nabiki asked Akane, "Ranma's your fiancee. You should walk him to school,"  
Ranma grinned, "She's got a point there,"  
Akane regarded Ranma for a moment.  
"Well, what are you waiting for then? Let's get going,"  
Ranma and Akane walked along side one another. Ranma kept gazing at a fence as he walked along side it.  
"How come you keep staring at the fence?" Akane noticed.  
"I remember I used to like walking on fences," he stated, "It's good for balance. I don't do it anymore,"  
"Why not?" she asked.  
"Let's just say I once slipped and one leg went down one side of the fence and my other leg went down the other side of the fence," Ranma said, "Let's just say being a guy and falling down on the fence like that...it's pretty painful,"  
Akane said nothing. She felt like giggling but knew she shouldn't.  
Ranma paused for a moment when he sensed his father nearby, spying on the two of them. He held his hand out toward Akane.  
Akane looked at Ranma's hand curiously and then up at Ranma. After a moment, she realized what Ranma wanted her to do. He wanted them to hold hands as they walked along.  
She gulped nervously as she reached a hand out and placed her hand in Ranma's. He closed his hand over hers and walked along.  
Akane said nothing, a blush on her face as she followed closely behind. They walked along, hand-in-hand until they rounded the corner.  
"Um, don't you think you're taking this fiancee thing a bit far?" Akane asked nervously, "I don't know about you, but you're giving me the impression that we're actually engaged,"  
Ranma suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, Akane accidentally bumping into him.  
At that moment, a spray of water missed hitting him as an elderly lady holding a small ladle was throwing water around in front of her sidewalk.  
"Good eye," Akane commented, "She almost got us both wet,"  
"Yeah," Ranma said.  
He let go of Akane's hand, "Sorry about that. I noticed my father spying on us. I just wanted to fool him,"  
"Really?" Akane smirked.  
Ranma noticed Akane seemed to be trying to tease him. That would never work.  
"Maybe," Ranma grinned, "But then again, maybe I'm using it as an excuse to hold your hand," Akane blushed.  
She found nothing wrong with that.

"Akane, you don't happen to have a cell phone, do you?" Ranma asked her from out of the blue as the two of them could see the school several block away.  
"A cell phone? Yeah, why?" she asked. She had one but sure rarely, if ever, used her cell phone. "Maybe I borrow it?" he asked, extending his hand.  
Akane looked at Ranma's extended hand. After a moment of hesitation, she extended her hand forward to put her hand in Ranma's hand.  
"I mean the cell phone," Ranma said, realizing Akane thought he was holding his hand forward for her to take his hand instead of him holding his hand forward for her to give him her cell phone.  
Akane blushed a deep shade of red from embarrassment, "Oh,"  
Ranma went about as she quickly went about searching through her carry bag for her cell phone.  
Man, Akane's so different, Ranma thought. She seems a lot less violent than the Akane I remember. I guess it really was my fault why Akane was so violent around me, because of my big mouth and my constantly antagonizing her.  
"Here," she handed him the cell phone, "What do you need it for?"  
Ranma smiled, "You'll see,"  
"Um, okay," she said as she watched him put it in his pocket. She had no real idea why Ranma needed her cell phone and was intrigued. There was something intriguing about Ranma in a mysterious sort of way.  
Together, they walked along silently. "I can't stand boys," Akane grumbled to herself all of a sudden as they finally neared the school, the front gate no more than fifty feet in front of them.  
Ranma looked toward Akane.  
"Present company excluded," Akane quickly added.  
Ranma smirked.  
Akane ran ahead, "Just hang back for a minute. There's something I need to take care of,"  
"Okay," Ranma said.  
Ranma smirked as he saw a massive wave of boys come rushing from the front entrance of the school. He watched as Akane rushed right into the group of boys and suddenly begin fighting them, all the boys trying to defeat her.  
"Oh yeah," Ranma said to himself, "I completely forgot about that. The boys in this school are trying to defeat Akane so they could go on a date with her. Man, I'm really forgetting things. The only thing I remembered from my first day of school was meeting Kuno,"  
He watched in amusement for a few minutes as Akane dispatched the large group of boys trying to defeat her, she fighting them. Before long, she found herself standing in the middle of a large group of unconscious boys strewn about all over the front courtyard.  
"For Pete's sake, every morning," Akane muttered, slightly winded from the intense battle, "What a drag," She had probably found and dispatched at least fifty boys in that single fight. "You're a really good fighter," Ranma smiled, still leaning against the school gate.  
"Thanks," Akane said, trying to catch her breath.  
"Truly, such a boorish lot," came a deep voice.  
Ranma and Akane turned their attention toward the voice as a man appeared from behind a nearby tree, a rose in one hand, a bokken in the other hand.  
"Evidently, each of them intends to ask you out, Akane, on the dawn that he finally defeats you,"  
"Kuno-sempai," Akane muttered, obviously not happy to see him.  
"And now, Akane Tendo, might you fight with me?" the man named Kuno got into a battle stance, throwing a rose toward Akane, holding his bokken in front of him in a battle stance.  
Akane grabbed the rose and sighed.  
"Man, you're pretty popular, aren'tcha?" Ranma grinned, walking forward to come to stand next to Ranma, trying to recall exactly what he had said so many decades ago when he was in such a situation.  
"You there," Kuno pointed his bokken toward Ranma, "You're being quite familiar with Akane Tendo. Who are you boor? Ah, but it is a custom to give one's own name first. Fine then, mine I shall give,"  
Ranma shrugged.  
"I am upperclassman Kuno," Kuno said, "Junior Group E. Undefeated new star of the high school fencing world. My peers call me 'The Blue Thunder of Furinkan High',"  
"Stay out of the way, Ranma," Akane cautioned Ranma, "You'll get hurt,"  
Ranma reached into his pocket and pulled out the cell phone Akane had given him, "Kuno, huh? What's your first name?"  
"Tatewaki," Kuno answered, waiting patiently for Ranma to give his name. He watched as Ranma pressed a few buttons on the cell phone, curious as to what Ranma was doing.  
"What are you doing? Are you not going to give me your name?" Kuno asked.  
Ranma smirked, "I'm calling the cops on you,"  
"What?" Kuno's eyes widened.  
"Hi, yes, I would like to report an assault," Ranma said into the cell phone, "The assailant's calls himself Tatewaki Kuno, 'The Blue Thunder of Furinkan High'. He has a weapon. I saw him beating up a bunch of boys in the front courtyard of Furinkan High,"  
"I did no such thing!" Kuno said, sweating profusely.  
"So?" Ranma smirked toward Kuno.  
Kuno, not really knowing what to do and worried that cops would be after him, ran away, disappearing around the corner of the back of the school.  
Akane just stared at Ranma with wide eye shock. After a moment, Ranma laughed, "Moron,"  
"Wow, I can't believe you called the cops on him," Akane said.  
Ranma handed the cell phone back to Akane, "Nah. I did no such thing. I just pretended like I was calling the cops on him,"  
Akane burst out laughing, "Wow, that's incredible! I can't believe I never thought of something like that before. It would had made my mornings so much easier since he always challenged me,"  
Ranma continued to grin.  
"Cell phones seems to make for good Kuno-repellent,"

Akane constantly found herself stealing glances toward Ranma as Ranma slept soundly in class. The both of them had made it to the classroom just in time so that the teacher didn't consider them late and make them stand outside in the hallway holding buckets of water.  
Ranma was introduced to the class to which he was given a seat her the middle of the class near Akane. Akane overheard several girls giggling and making comments about how cute Ranma was. It made her realize that once lunchtime came around, all the students would be surrounding his desk asking him tons of questions. Why is Ranma sleeping, Akane thought. The moment the teacher turns around from the blackboard, he will notice Ranma sleeping and will call him and ask him to answer the math question.  
"Ranma!" the teacher saw the new student sleeping in class.  
Ranma didn't stir.  
The teacher threw a piece of chalk across the room where it hit Ranma in the back of the head, waking him up. He yawned as he sat upright, a sleepy look on his face.  
"Since you were paying so much attention in my class, perhaps you might be able to answer the question," the teacher said sarcastically.  
"You should be a comedian instead of a teacher since it's obvious you're so funny with that sarcastic wit of yours," Ranma muttered in annoyance. He didn't like being woken up for stupid reasons and this was a stupid reason.  
The teacher glared at Ranma.  
Ranma yawned and asked, "What was the question you wanted me to answer?"  
"If you were paying attention, you would know that I asked 'What values will 'X' and 'Y' be?'," the teacher said.  
Ranma looked at the blackboard for a moment before saying, "The answers'll be 'X' equals nine and 'Y' equals the square root of negative nine or, simplified, imaginary three,"  
"That is incorrect," the teacher said.  
Ranma looked at the teacher for a moment, wondering if he should embarrass him in front of the entire classroom by pointing out that the answer was correct and that he had messed up carrying out one of the variables.  
He shrugged, "Okay, I guess I'm wrong then. I don't care anyway. This shit you're teaching us's bullshit anyway,"  
"What didja say?" the teacher could've sworn he heard Ranma mutter something that had the word 'shit' in it. No student is ever allowed to swear in his class,"  
"I said 'Okay, I guess I'm wrong then. I don't care anyway. This shit you're teaching us's bullshit anyway'," Ranma repeated loudly. Everyone in the classroom gasped at Ranma's audacity.  
"Go stand outside in the hall!" the teacher yelled at him.  
Ranma shrugged as he got up out of his seat and went outside into the hallway.  
Akane looked around the class and could hear many of the girls whispering to one another. Most of the girls were whispering to one another about how cool Ranma was and how they couldn't wait until lunch to talk to him and get to know more about him.  
Oddly enough, Akane felt herself getting angry hearing those girls gossiping about Ranma.

Ranma leaned against the wall outside the classroom.  
He felt a bit bad at having gotten angry in the classroom like that but he didn't really care. He didn't like taking crap from anyone if he didn't have to, even if it was a teacher that children respected. "Man, what the heck happened on my first day of school," Ranma asked himself, trying to remember.  
He turned his gaze down the hallway where he saw Kuno, holding a bucket of water, coming running down the hall toward him.  
"Oh yeah, Kuno found out from Nabiki and Akane and I were engaged," Ranma smirked, "Akane and I were late so we were both standing outside in the hallway when Kuno tried to attack me,"  
Kuno came to a skidding halt right by Ranma, trying to slash him with the bucket of water, Ranma skillfully dodging it.  
"Never Ranma Saotome," Kuno said, having found out Ranma's name from Nabiki, " I shall never accept your engagement to Akane!"  
Inside the classroom, everyone overheard what Kuno had said outside in the hallway. Most of the students turned toward Akane.  
"Is that true, Akane?" a classmate asked her.  
"I thought you hate boys," another classmate said.  
Akane blushed a deep shade of red, "I-it's not what you think!"  
Oh my god, she thought. What the heck is going on outside? That sounded like Kuno.  
Everyone in the classroom quickly got up and rushed toward the window separating the hallway from the classroom and opened it to hear and see what was going on outside in the hallway.  
"Ranma, is that true?" one student asked him.  
"You're really engaged to Akane?" another one asked.  
Kuno took a swing at him with the bokken, Ranma skillfully dodging it.  
"This is no place to fight," Ranma said, running off down the hallway, "Follow me,"  
"That I shall," Kuno followed suit.  
All the students started rushing out of the classroom to follow after Ranma and Kuno, ignoring the teacher's attempted requests for all the students to get back in the classroom and back in their seats.  
"This is great," one student said.  
"Ooooh, and the winner gets to go out with Akane," a female student stated, believing it romantic that two guys fight over a girl.  
Akane got up out of her seat and followed after the class.  
"Let's get outside," Ranma said, running straight toward the open window, "Follow me,"  
Ranma jumped out the open window.  
"Fear not," Kuno said, intend on jumping out the window with Ranma.  
"Hey, this is the third floor!" one student said.  
Everyone stopped by the open window and looked, worried at what they would see, that being two broken bodies at the ground three stories below. Much to everyone's surprise, they saw only Kuno falling down and into the school pool down below.  
"Heh, moron," Ranma smirked, holding onto the end of the window. He knew of the pool down below and had no intention of jumping in. He had grabbed onto the window edge as he jumped out, Kuno following out and making a leap, unaware of what Ranma had done until it was too late. Kuno hit the pool with great impact, executing a perfect belly-flop. Everyone winced as they all knew that that had to hurt. After a few seconds, Kuno floated to the surface, unconscious.  
"Heh," Ranma smirked, still holding the edge of the window and looking down at Kuno's unconscious form. After a moment, he pulled himself up and climbed back into the window.  
"We thought you were a goner," one student said.  
"Ranma, that was incredible," one female student said. "Yeah, I'm the man," Ranma smiled confidently. It was rather funny how easy it was to get rid of Kuno. Kuno was so idiotic it was criminal.  
"That was awesome, Ranma," several students said.  
Akane made her way through the crowd of students and up to where Ranma was as many of them gave him pats on the back. Most of the students nearby began talking to him all at the same time.  
"Kuno was a jerk. I'm glad put him in his place,"  
"He deserved what was coming to him,"  
"Man, you really fooled that Kuno,"  
Ranma smiled, "Hey, dontcha guys all have a thing called class?"  
"Hey, is it true?" one student asked, "Are you and Akane engaged?"  
"Um," Ranma wondered what to say. He cast Akane a quick glance, wondering if she might be able to give him a hint on whether or not he should tell everyone if the engagement was real or a ruse. The barrage of questions about the engagement didn't stop, Ranma finding himself becoming overwhelmed.  
"Yes, we're engaged," Akane blurted out. This surprised Ranma. Of all things, he figured she would say the exact opposite.  
Everyone became deathly silent.  
"Um, she's right," Ranma said, following Akane's lead, "Anyone got a problem with it?"  
No one said anything.  
"Everyone, get back to class or you're all going to get detention," someone shouted from down the hallway. Everyone turned their attention toward the person that said it. It was none other than the teacher. Because no one wanted to get detention, they all quickly headed off down the hallway, disappearing back into their classroom.  
Akane ended up getting dragged off with the group, casting Ranma a furtive look as Ranma remained where he was, smirking as he leaned up against the window as the teacher approached him.  
"Are you the cause of all this?" the teacher ask Ranma.  
Ranma jerked a thumb out the window toward Kuno as he could now be seen slowly climbing out of the pool, having regained consciousness, "That guy started it,"  
"I'm gonna keep an eye on you," the teacher said, glaring at Ranma, "I'm sure you're nothing but trouble," Ranma shrugged, "So?"

new stuff 10/29

Akane and Nabiki walked home together after school was over. Ranma wasn't there "I heard what Ranma did to Kuno," Nabiki smirked, "I wish I could've been there to see it,"  
"There wasn't all that much to see," Akane answered, "I saw him have Kuno follow him and jump out the window. However, Ranma grabbed onto the window edge as he jumped out. Kuno didn't realize this until it was too late,"  
Nabiki said, "It seems news spread fast of your engagement to Ranma,"  
"Actually, it spread all because of you," Ranma said, his voice a bit cold.  
"Me? What makes you say that?" Nabiki pointed toward herself.  
"You're an indirect cause of it, but you're the one that caused it," Ranma rephrased.  
"How so?" she was curious.  
Ranma said, "You told Kuno. Kuno blurted it out in front of the classroom and now everyone thinks that,"  
"I did no such thing," Nabiki said glibly.  
Nabiki shrugged, "Well, it was bound to be known sooner or later. I guess it was sooner than later,"  
Ranma shrugged, "I guess you have a point,"  
A strong gust of wind blew by, causing both Nabiki and Akane to yelp out in surprise as they tried to keep their dress from blowing upward and revealing their panties.  
Ranma grinned.  
"You saw 'em, didn't you?" Akane glared at Ranma.  
"Heh, both yours and Nabiki's panties are white," Ranma added.  
Nabiki and Akane both had deep blushes on their cheeks. While Nabiki displayed signs of embarrassment, Akane displayed signs of anger.  
"Ranma!" Akane snapped, feeling the need to strike him, "You're such a pervert,"  
"Oh, like it's my fault the wind blew your dresses up," Ranma smiled.  
Akane found herself unable to say anything.  
Ranma grinned, figuring he might as well have some fun, "Of course, if I did something like this, that's a good reason to be angry,"  
He slapped Akane on her backside, causing the young girl to yelp out in surprise.  
"Ranma!" Akane turned toward him, instantly fuming. However, he was no longer there, having taken off down the street. She yelled out after him, chasing after him, "Get back here!"  
Nabiki stood where she was for a moment and smirked, watching the two of them running down the street before they disappeared around a corner. She then proceeded to walk home on her own, a slight blush on her cheeks. There was something to Ranma she found intriguing.  
"What an interesting person,"

Akane watched Ranma had he did some katas in the dojo, her gaze transfixed on him. The incident that had happened earlier had been long forgotten, Akane letting it slide just this one time when Ranma pointed out to her that she had seen him naked afterall and him slapping her backside made them now even.  
She noticed Ranma's movements were very fluid, exuding confidence. "You look like you've been training for a lot longer than since you were a baby," Akane stated. She knew well enough about martial arts that it took decades of practice and training to display martial arts skills Ranma was displaying. Ranma smiled, "Thanks. I'm a quick learner,"  
He decided against seeing if he could shoot ki-blasts. He was pretty sure he could but didn't want to try and come up with an excuse on how he knew such techniques. Heck, how the heck would he be able to explain it to his father without telling the truth? No, it was best to never reveal some of the more advanced techniques he knew. Then again, it isn't as if he needed it anyway.  
"C'mon, let's spar," Akane said, eager to see just how good a fighter Ranma was. Although she was a prideful fighter, Akane, for some reason, felt like she wouldn't really feel bad if she lost a sparring match against someone like Ranma.  
Ranma shook his head, "Nope,"  
"Why not?" Akane asked, "I want to spar against you,"  
Ranma chuckled, "Wow, that sounded like a whine,"  
Akane said, "I'm not whining. I just find it rather odd why you're so against sparring. It's an excellent form of training,"  
"So's meditation," Ranma grinned, "Of course, I don't see you doing it,"  
"Neither do you," Akane retorted.  
"Y'got a point," Ranma said, "Anyway, the point is is I'm not interested in sparring against you. I'll teach you, but I won't spar,"  
Akane asked, "Do you have a thing against fighting? During the two times that it seems like you could've fought against Kuno, you managed to outwit him,"  
Ranma smirked, "Outwitting Kuno isn't all that hard,"  
Akane giggled.  
"If I don't need to fight, I won't fight," Ranma said, "And before you ask about me sparring my old man, I guess I do it because of habit. That's all. I don't care about fighting,"  
Akane thought about asking him to train her. Although she had no real idea how good Ranma was, she was pretty sure he was a lot better than her. Of course, she would never admit it without sparring and finding out first-hand. She looked at the clock and noticed what time it was, "We should head in, dinner is almost ready,"  
Ranma smiled happily, "Cool,"

"So, how was school?" Genma asked Ranma.  
"Fine," Ranma said, munching down on his meal as he and everyone else sat around the dinner table.  
He noticed Soun looking rather depressed. It took a moment for Ranma to realize why. Soun was depressed that he now had to worry about having two more extra mouths to feed. And it also didn't help that both Ranma and Genma ate quite a bit.  
I'll fix that, Ranma thought to himself. I'll do something about that. My old man and I were freeloaders then, but that doesn't mean I'm going to be a freeloader now that I hafta do everything all over again.  
"Did you get along fine with all the students?" Genma asked.  
Ranma shrugged, "More or less. The teachers aren't all that fond of me,"  
"That's because you constantly sleep in class," Akane smirked.  
"Actually, I think what really annoys them is when they think I'm not paying attention and asking me a question and I answer it," Ranma chuckled.  
"Ranma's doing well in school?" Genma was surprised.  
Ranma shrugged, "Well enough. Of course, it'll probably take a good week or so of constantly doing this before the teachers realize that it's better to just let me sleep instead of trying to see if there's an answer I can't answer,"  
Ranma was fairly smart. Of course, in class, he seemed like a genius. Him possessing the mind and intelligence of an adult and being in a high school class was akin to a high school student being in a kindergarten class. Compared to all the other student in his class, he seemed very smart. Of course, compared to some of the adults he knew and associated with back on his home world, he wasn't smart at all. It was all relative. "I'm glad to hear you're doing well in school," Genma said.  
"Yeah, it's obvious I got my brains from mom's side of the family," Ranma grinned.  
Everyone in the room laughed.  
Ranma noticed Nabiki staring at him, "What, do I have something on my face?" He proceeded to wipe at his face, figuring a piece of rice had gotten stuck to his cheek.  
"Um, there was, but you got it," Nabiki lied.  
She quickly went about eating, quickly bringing her bowl of rice up to her face to eat, doing so to hide her blush.  
"Akane, you can go on ahead," Ranma said to Akane the next day as they were walking to school. Nabiki wasn't with them, she having gone back to the house to pick up a text book she forgot while Akane and Ranma went on.  
"I hafta go do something," Ranma said, "It'll probably take all morning,"  
"What? Do what?" she asked.  
"Don't worry your pretty little head over it," Ranma said, "It's nothing. I'll be in school after lunch,"  
"What, you're skipping morning classes?" Akane was surprised, "This is your second day of school and you're already skipping classes,"  
Ranma nodded, "Yeah. I guess I am,"  
"Why?" she asked.  
"Don't worry about it," Ranma said, "And don't worry about what I'm gonna miss in class anyway. It's not like I don't already know all the stuff the teachers're teaching anyway,"  
"Still," she persisted.  
"Don't worry," Ranma said.  
"Why don't you just tell me?" Akane asked after a moment. Ranma laughed, "Hah, if I told you, you'd get all jealous and stuff. No way,"  
"What do you mean by that?" Akane asked, getting angry, "And what makes you think I would get jealous of whatever you do? You don't even know me," Ranma thought about it for a moment before he said, "Forget it. Look, just trust me,"  
Akane said nothing.  
She didn't really know Ranma that well and it wasn't as if she had any control over him anyway. If he didn't want to tell her, she had a good reason to believe that he wouldn't tell her. After a moment, she said, "And what if everyone starts asking me about you? What am I to say?"  
"Tell them I felt sick," Ranma shrugged.  
"You want me to lie?" Akane felt annoyed.  
"All right, tell them the truth," he said, "It doesn't make any difference,"  
"And what truth would that be?" she asked. "That you don't know," Ranma answered matter-of-factly, "Just tell them I went off to do something but you don't know what,"  
"But-" she tried to say.  
"Talk to y'later," Ranma ran off before Akane could say anything.  
Akane just stood there, puzzled. She and Ranma had gone jogging this morning and she thought the two of them were getting along fine. How come Ranma suddenly didn't want to tell her what he was up to? Realizing that there was nothing much she could do about it, Ranma long gone and she not having a clue where to start looking for him, she decided to head off to school. Perhaps Ranma would tell her when they met up after lunch.  
"Good morning, ladies," Ranma smiled warmly toward a group of four gorgeous women.  
The women stopped to look at the young teenager. They were all dressed in attire that indicated that they were successful businesswomen. They were every bit as beautiful as they were successful.  
They were all in their mid-twenties and were on their way to the train station to go to work. They regarded the young teenager curiously.  
"Do you all have a minute you can spare?" he asked.  
They all looked at one another before they nodded.  
"My name is Ranma Saotome," Ranma said, "What are your names?"  
All four girls looked at one another for a bit before they gave him their names.  
"I'm Minda," one woman said, "This is Mika, Cheri, and Amasa,"  
"Are you girls free this weekend?" he asked.  
"Kid, you're about ten years too early," one woman smiled warmly, "I must say, you've got more guts than any man I've ever come across to approach all four of us at the same time,"  
Ranma smiled, "Yeah, well, I'm pretty sure unlike any guy you've ever come across,"  
The group laughed, admiring the young boy's confidence. "Anyway, I'm a sensei at the Anything School of Martial Arts," Ranma said, getting to the point, "I'm interested in teaching you all some martial arts,"  
"Martial arts?" one asked.  
Ranma reached into his pocket and pulled out four business cards that he took from the dojo. He handed each woman a card.  
"This is the school I work for," Ranma said seriously, "This weekend, I'm going to be giving free martial arts lessons starting at noon until whenever. I'd like for you girls to come check us out. You can come and watch or take lessons as well. If y'want lessons, just wear clothes like jogging pants. You can bring whoever you like,"  
"Free martial arts lessons, that's interesting," one woman said.  
The other girls agreed.  
"What's the catch?" one woman asked, skeptic.  
Ranma said, "There is no catch. Just come if you feel like it,"  
"You're going to be teaching the class?" another woman asked.  
Ranma nodded.  
"But you're only, what, sixteen," the woman said. "Hey, don't judge a book by its cover," Ranma said in annoyance, "I'm not judging you so I appreciate it if you don't judge me. You should judge me by my abilities, not my appearance,"  
"I'm sorry," the woman said, "I was out of line. I know exactly what you mean. Actually, the four of us know what you mean. We've often been judged on our appearance and not our abilities,"  
"Anyway, if you can, please come," Ranma said, "I scribbled down the times when I'll be teaching,"  
"Okay," another woman said, "We'll keep it in mind,"  
"Thanks," Ranma said. "Well, it was nice talking to you," a woman said, "It's best we get going now, our train will be here shortly,"  
Ranma watched as the women headed off, disappearing around the corner. After a minute, he spotted two beautiful women walking down the street.  
He smiled as he crossed the street to have a word with them.  
Nabiki watched Ranma from a safe distance.  
"Who are all these women he's walking up to?" she asked herself. She had gone home to retrieve a missing text book and had spotted Ranma while she was on her way back to school. Because she was running late, she had decided to take a shortcut.  
When she spotted Ranma, she saw him standing in front of four very beautiful women, talking to them. It made her wonder where Akane was and why she wasn't with him. She also wondered if Ranma knew those women. As she watched, she saw Ranma seeming approach every beautiful random woman that came across his path.  
When she noticed this, she had reached into her book bag and pulled out a camera and took pictures. She always carried a camera, usually using it to take candid pictures of Akane so that she could sell them to Kuno for an exorbitant amount of money. This was the first time she was using the camera for something else.  
"Ranma's some kind of playboy," Nabiki said, "He's hitting on every beautiful girl he comes across,"  
She had taken several pictures of Ranma talking to girls before she finally decided that she was definitely going to be late if she didn't hurry on to school.  
Nabiki couldn't help but feel sad as she ran off to school after having spied on Ranma for around five minutes. She thought Ranma might actually be an okay guy, but after she saw what she saw, it was obvious she was wrong. Since it was obvious Ranma was a jerk just like every other guy out there, there was no reason for Nabiki to take pity on him.  
"I wonder how much money I can make blackmailing him with those pictures,"

"Hey, Akane, Ranma's here," one girl called out as she sat by the window. It was during lunch and someone spotted Ranma from within the classroom as he was walking across the courtyard toward the front entrance.  
"Man, you're so lucky," a female classmate said, "He's really hot,"  
Akane let out an annoyed breath. It was strange how so many of the girls in the class took such a liking to him. She had a funny feeling it was because of the incident with the teacher and the way he just spoke his mind and generally made himself seem like a bad boy. What was with women finding bad boys so attractive? She glanced out the window where she saw Ranma. Seeing him made her curious as to where he had been. She watched as he disappeared into the school, reappearing as he walked through the classroom door and took a seat at his desk. Several students approached him and started talking to him, asking him where he had been.  
She didn't bother approaching him, figuring there was no real need. She was pretty sure none of the students would find out about where Ranma had been anyway.  
"Hey, are you writing some kinda biography on me?" Ranma seemed annoyed, "Who cares where I've been? Quit asking me so many questions,"  
The fact that Ranma seemed to constantly tell people to basically mind their own business made him seem all the more mysterious and intriguing, especially to the female populace.  
"The teacher gave a pop quiz today," someone commented, "He doesn't do make-  
ups,"  
Ranma shrugged, "So?" He yawned as he placed his arms on the desk and rest his head down, "I'm gonna go take a nap,"  
"The teacher's going to be in soon," one student said.  
"So? It never stopped me before," Ranma shrugged, "Ain't gonna stop me now,"  
He promptly went to sleep. He didn't go to sleep because he was tired. He simply went to sleep because he would rather sleep instead of stay awake during a boring class. Sure, he could just leave, but then he would have to deal with authorities spotting him wandering around and wondering why he wasn't in school. Afterall, he did look like a teenager.  
Before long, lunch time was over and the teacher entered the classroom.  
When the teacher noticed Ranma sleeping, he got angry. The whole classroom watched in quiet anticipation between what was going to happen. They wondered if they would see another Ranma-teacher interaction like what they had seen yesterday. "Ranma, wake up!" the teacher shouted across the classroom toward Ranma.  
Ranma opened his eyes and looked at the teacher, "What?"  
"You will not sleep in my class," the teacher said angrily, "If you want to sleep, it will not be in my class,"  
Ranma got up and headed for the door, "Okay,"  
"Where do you think you're going?" the teacher called out as Ranma opened the door.  
"I'm going home," Ranma said.  
"Get back in your seat!" the teacher yelled.  
"What the fuck?" Ranma turned toward the teacher, "Get off my case!"  
The entire class gasped. The teacher was completely shocked at Ranma's response. Never in his life had he ever had a student like Ranma before.  
Ranma had a thing with authority. He disliked it as well as being told what to do. Actually, that was untrue. He had no real problems with authority, just misuse of it. Ranma was an adult. The teacher was an adult. Therefore, the argument that would come between them would be an adult one. This was one of the reasons why many children could not really talk back to a teacher, because they didn't have the mindset as an adult. "You are overstepping your bounds as a teacher," Ranma said, "My sleeping in class is not disrupting your class. Afterall, everyone in this class can clearly hear what you're saying and I'm not preventing anyone from learning. Unfortunately, my sleeping in class bothers YOU. You are just like those teachers that don't like students wearing hats or chewing gum in class. You have no authority to tell a student what to wear or chew. You are a teacher and your job is to teach. You are a professional and having something bother YOU while you're teaching is unprofessional. So long as what anyone is doing is NOT disrupting the class, you have no authority in the matter. I've watched several students yesterday raise their hands and ask to go to the bathroom and you declining. You have no authority to decide that. It does not disrupt the class. Unfortunately, it disrupts you, which is very unprofessional. You are not professional,"  
The teacher was stunned at the argument Ranma brought up.  
"If you were a professional, you will continue to teach the students while I sleep," Ranma continued on, "This is because, as a professional, it is more important to you that you have the children learn from you instead of you getting pissed off because of one student,"  
The teacher said nothing.  
"Now, which one would you rather choose, to be professional and let me sleep?" Ranma asked patiently, "Or be unprofessional and kick me out of the class because it bothers you that I'm sleeping in class,"  
The teacher stood there silently, everyone in class wondering what the man would say.  
"Fine, you may sleep," the teacher relented, "However, if you do not know the materials that I'm teaching for the upcoming test, it is because you were sleeping when you shouldn'tve,"  
"I'm aware of that and I'll take my chances,"

Ranma approached the teacher at the end of school day.  
"I'd like to have a word with you, alone please," Ranma said to the teacher.  
The teacher regarded Ranma for a moment before he said, "We can talk in my office,"  
Ranma followed the teacher to his office. It was a cozy office with lots of textbooks strewn about.  
"What is it you wanted to talk to me about?" the teacher asked.  
"I'm sorry for the outburst in the class like that," Ranma said, "It's just that I didn't like to be told what to do. I did not do it for attention at your expense,"  
The teacher sighed, "I figured. You brought up a few good points. Your sleeping in class really did bother me and it didn't disrupt the class at all,"  
"If it did, you should have told me," Ranma said, "There was no need to try and make an example out of me in front of the whole class,"  
"I'll be sure to remember that," the teacher said.  
"I'm glad to hear it," Ranma smiled.  
"Is that all?" the teacher asked.  
Ranma nodded, "Yeah. That's all. I just wanted to apologize and be on my way. See you later,"  
Before Ranma left the office, the teacher said, "Wait,"  
"You missed the pop quiz this morning," the teacher stated.  
"I had something important to do this morning," Ranma answered.  
The teacher regarded Ranma for a moment before he turned toward his desk and opened up a draw and pulled a piece of paper out.  
"I don't give out make-up, but for you, I'll make an exception," the teacher said, "If you stay for a half hour, I can quickly whip a make up quiz and you can take it in my office,"  
Ranma smiled, "Thanks, teach, but don't worry. I'll take the zero,"  
"Are you sure?" the teacher asked, "Each quiz counts as five percent of your final grade. I'm confident I know the material. I don't need a grade to prove it. Just curious though, the quiz, what was it on?"  
The teacher pulled out another piece of paper from his desk and showed it to him, "That's the pop quiz I gave,"  
Ranma looked at it for a moment.  
"The answer's 'X' equals fifteen," Ranma handed the paper back to him after a minute.  
"That's right," the teacher was surprised, "You did that in your head?"  
"I'm good at math," Ranma smirked, "But then again, someone in the class could've told me the answer that they came up with and I'm just pretending I did it in my head,"  
The teacher laughed, "Perhaps,"  
Ranma headed for the door, "I'll see you around,"  
After Ranma was gone, the teacher looked down at the quiz paper. It was the quiz question for his 'Advanced Calculus' class, a college-level course he taught that was much much harder than the math class Ranma was currently.  
The teacher opened up the grade book and wrote a '100' in front of the space where Ranma's quiz score was supposed to be. Ranma saw Akane waiting for by the tree located near the school gate. The wasn't paying all that much attention, too busy watching the front entrance to have notice Ranma emerged from around the side of the school.  
Ranma snuck up behind Akane and grabbed her by the side, "Boo!"  
Akane yelped out in surprise, closing her eyes and swinging her book bag around instinctively toward her attacker.  
Ranma ducked just as the book bag swung by over him, missing his head by inches. He took several steps back and watched as Akane swung her bag around as if she was trying to swat away attacking bees with it, screaming in fright, her eyes closed.  
After a moment of swinging her bag around, Akane stopped to look around. It took a moment for her to realize that no one was unconscious by her feet and that Ranma was standing nearby, a big smile on his face.  
"I'm glad to see your martial arts training kicked in really well," Ranma smiled, almost laughing.  
"Y-you were the one that snuck up on me like that?" Akane found herself becoming angry.  
Ranma nodded, "Yeah. Oh man, it was so funny watching you swinging your bag around like that. I swear, if any bees were nearby, I'm sure you would've got them all,"  
"Y-you jerk!" Akane started fuming, realizing Ranma was having a good laugh at her expense.  
At the heat of the moment, she threw her book bag at him out of anger and embarrassment. To her surprise, and perhaps her expectations, Ranma caught easily.  
"C'mon, I was just messing around," Ranma said, "It's not like I slapped ya on the butt or something," "Don't you even think about it!" Akane took a defensive stance.  
Ranma chuckled as walked straight toward Akane. Akane didn't move, not wanting to show signs of being intimidated. If he made any sudden moves, she would let him have it.  
Ranma made a motion with his arm that she had never seen before. And because of that, she had no idea how to react or counter attack. However, before she was about to do something, Ranma ended up reaching out and placing an arm around her shoulder.  
"C'mon let's get a bite to eat, I'm hungry," he said happily. He did that from time to time, placing his arm over a girl's shoulder, usually completely unaware that he was even doing so. It was a thing he did without much thought, very similar along the lines of him patting someone's head.  
Akane found herself blushing as she tried to keep up with him, Ranma's stride longer than hers. Her anger toward him seemed to have been completely forgotten.  
"Um, okay," she said.  
"Unhand her," came a voice from behind them.  
Ranma stopped walking and turned around to face the voice, taking his arm off Akane. He took his arm off her exactly as he did putting his arm around her, completely unaware of his actions.  
"Well, if it isn't Kuno?" Ranma smiled.  
Kuno held his bokken forward, the tip pointed toward Ranma.  
Ranma, still holding Akane's book bag, opened it up and reached in, fishing around. After a second, he pulled out Akane's cell phone. He began to punch in the numbers for the police.  
"Ha ha ha, it is useless!" Kuno laughed, "By the time the authorities get here, I will be long gone!"  
Kuno then promptly turned around and ran away, laughing as he continued to run down the street, eventually disappearing around a corner.  
Ranma turned back around and headed off down the street, "As I was saying, let's go get something to head," "Um, okay," she followed, well aware that Ranma no longer had his arm around her. Had Kuno not had showed up, Ranma would had most likely kept his arm around her until they stopped to get something to eat.  
Oddly enough, she felt a bit angry at Kuno for what he had done.  
Akane took a peek into dojo and was surprised to see Ranma on his hands and knees near the edge of the floor mat, scrubbing at the floor with a brush. She was there to tell him that dinner was ready.  
"What are you doing?" she asked.  
"What's it look like I'm doing?" he asked, not looking up, intent on scrubbing.  
Akane said, "It looks like you're trying to scrub the dojo's floor mat clean,"  
"Bingo," Ranma said.  
"How come?" she asked.  
Ranma continued scrubbing, "It mostly has to do with what I was doing this morning,"  
"And what would that be?" she asked.  
"I went out this morning talking to as many random girls as I could," Ranma stated, "I spent the whole morning doing nothing but that. I probably approached a good two hundred girls,"  
"You what?" Akane said loudly, feeling angry. So that was what Ranma was doing all along, talking to girls?  
Ranma stopped scrubbing to look at her, "THAT is why I didn't tell you. It's specifically THAT reaction that made me not tell you. You'd get all angry at me and think I was up to no good and start jumping to conclusions,"  
Akane said nothing.  
"I didn't need you following me around," Ranma said, "If I told you, there was a chance you would follow me around. Of course, because I didn't tell you, you didn't follow me,"  
"And what makes you think I would want to follow you around after you told me that?" Akane said defensively, a bit angry at how Ranma would assume how she would act when they only knew each other shortly.  
Ranma smirked, "I didn't know. I just wanted to be safe. And not only that, had you followed me, you would've missed the pop quiz,"  
He knew Akane so well that he was positive that was exactly what she would do. She would just watch him and get angrier and angrier, most likely thinking he was some kind of playboy. She would then spend the rest of the day being angry at Ranma, not stopping once to think spying on him was wrong on her part.  
"Why were you spending this morning talking to all these random girls?" Akane asked, believing that perhaps Ranma was right. There was a good chance she would had followed him. Actually, she was pretty sure she would had definitely had done so.  
Ranma said, "I don't wanna be a freeloader in this house. I'm not like my dad and I wanna earn my stay here. I told all these girls that I'm going to be giving free martial arts lessons this weekend and that they're welcome to come and check it out,"  
"But why only girls?" Akane was confused.  
Ranma grinned, "Because, I'm a guy. I'd rather teach girls than guys. They're softer and smell nicer,"  
Akane glared at him but decided to hold her temper. Ranma seemed to have a teasing personality and she was pretty sure he was just teasing her and there were more reasons for doing so.  
"I intend to teach only girls this weekend," Ranma said, "When the weekend is over, whoever wants to continue training can sign up for real. Word is going to spread that the dojo has a lot of female members. When guys here about this, they're all going to want to join as well. Girls are more likely to join something that has more girls than guys. Guys are more likely to join something that has more girls than guys. In a way, my approaching only girls to get them to join is the perfect choice," Akane thought about that for a moment. Ranma's plan seemed rather sound.  
"That's why you're cleaning the floor mats, in anticipation of all those girls that will be coming here to try out those free lessons?" Akane asked.  
"Bingo," he said.  
Akane looked around for a brush, "I'll help,"  
Ranma smiled warmly, "Thanks, but it's okay. I've got it,"  
"You've been in this dojo ever since we got back from school," Akane said, "You're not even a quarter of the way finished with scrubbing the floor mat,"  
"That's because I cleaned everything else," Ranma said, "The floor mat's the last thing left. I only started around twenty minutes ago. Just go on and eat,"  
"I'll help," Akane persisted, "I helped make dinner and I'd like you to try it out,"  
"You did?" Ranma's eyes widened.  
Akane nodded.  
"Thanks for the info," Ranma went about scrubbing again, "I'll be sure to take my time cleaning. That way, I'll be done AFTER dinner is over,"  
"Jerk," she glared at him but made no attempt to hit him. Ranma chuckled.

The following morning went jogging with Akane. It went by uneventful, the two of them getting back home in around an hour and a half. "Are you nervous?" Akane asked from out of the blue.  
"Nervous, about what?" Ranma asked.  
"About teaching," Akane said. Even though she would not be taking part in teaching a class, the thought of doing so made her very nervous.  
Ranma shook his head, "Nah, not at all,"  
"The thought makes me queasy," Akane said, revealing something not many people knew about her, "I'm not good enough to start teaching. I have no problems with learning martial arts, teaching it is something entirely different,"  
Ranma smiled, "I'm sure you'll do fine when the time comes,"  
"Have you ever taught classes before?" Akane asked.  
"No, I never taught before," Ranma said. He couldn't help but feel bad that he was lying right to Akane's face. Although he could lie with a very straight face, that didn't mean he didn't feel bad. There were some really good reason why. The girl before him was basically the girl he had fallen in love with many decades ago. Of course, her death devastated him, but he managed to pick himself up and move on. Because he was able to move on, he could never return back to the way it used to be. Of course, even though he had moved on, the past will always be there and him having been once in love with her will also be there.  
He regarded her for a bit, swearing to himself that he would tell her who he was before he left. He owed her that. Of course, he had no idea exactly how he would go about explaining it.  
'I'm the adult version of the boy you were supposed to meet. I used to be cursed, changing into a girl whenever I am splashed with cold water. I'm over a hundred years old, have travelled to many worlds, fought evil corporations, destroyed worlds, saved worlds, fought divine beings, fought humanoid robots, became God, tried to kill God, and had died countless times'  
Ranma laughed. What a life he had been through. And what was funny is that having to relive a portion of his past was yet another notch under his belt in terms of what he had been through. "What's so funny?" Akane asked.  
Ranma waved a dismissive hand, "Nothing important,"  
"Oh, okay," she said. She really was curious as to what he found funny, but it was useless to persist. "If you want, join the class as well as I teach," Ranma changed the subject, "Maybe you might learn some new stuff,"  
Akane said, "You're going to be teaching a beginner's class. I'm pretty confident that I already know the basics,"  
Ranma smirked, "Who knows?"  
"What do you plan on teaching?" she asked curiously.  
"Some simple but useful techniques," he shrugged, "Stuff like how to escape holds and such without actually needing to resort to violence,"  
Akane scratched her head, "Like what do you mean?"  
Ranma reached out and grabbed Akane's wrist, "For example, what would you do if a guy grabbed your wrist like this?"  
As if relying on instinct, Akane used her other hand to strike toward Ranma's solar plexus, a quick but effective way of incapacitating her assailant. It wasn't until after she struck the forearm of Ranma's other hand as he blocked the attack did she realized who she was attacking.  
"Without resorting to violence," Ranma said, "That means without using any kinda attack,"  
She gave her arm a quick yank, but to her surprise, Ranma's grip was a lot stronger than she had anticipated. His arm didn't budge and she could no free herself from his grasp.  
After a moment, she used her free hand to grab Ranma's grabbing arm and twist his wrist, causing Ranma's arm to bend at an awkward angle, Ranma ending up facing away from her, his arm bent backwards behind him and his wrist locked at an awkward angle.  
"That's one way to do it," Ranma said, smirking. Akane smirked, feeling like she was in control of the situation. That was one of the things she loved about martial arts, being able to turn a chaotic situation into a controllable one.  
"Of course, what if your attacker is stronger than you?" Ranma said. He used brute strength to overpower Akane's hold on him, eventually bringing himself to face her, his hand on her wrist again.  
Akane looked down at her hands and realized that Ranma seemed to have easily broken her hold. She tried to twist his wrist again but he held his arm taut, Akane unable to move it. She continued to struggle, trying to use her own brute strength to overpower Ranma's own.  
After a while, she started to realize Ranma was a lot stronger than her, so much so that even her attempt joint manipulations didn't have any effect on him.  
"It's kinda like trying to put an armbar on someone whose arm is stronger than the amount of strength you can apply on the hold," Ranma smiled, "Even though it take very little strength to manipulate joints, it still takes some strength. If a person is significantly stronger than you, you're not going to overpower him, even if you have knowledge of joint manipulations on your side,"  
"Okay, then what do you suggest?" Akane asked, "You're restricting me from being able to attack you. If I'm able to attack you, then I would be able to get out of the hold. A simply punch can cause you to lose your hold,"  
Ranma said, "Yes, but how many girls do you think in that class can punch like you can?"  
Akane said nothing. Probably not many, if any.  
"I guess you have a point," Akane said, "Okay, what do you suggest?"  
Ranma released his grip and extended his hand, "Grab a hold of my hand and I'll show you,"  
Akane did as she was told. She grabbed his hand, intent on holding it firm, curious as to what Ranma was going to show her. She watched as Ranma flicked his wrist up and around her own wrist, causing her to instantly lose her hold of him.  
"That's all," Ranma smiled.

Ranma stood outside the Tendo home at around noon.  
It was nearing noontime and he couldn't help but feel a bit nervous as to how many potential students would show up. He hoped he had made a good enough first impression on all the people he had come across that they were willing to give him and his martial arts lessons a try.  
Out of the two hundred or so females he had talked to, he surmised that around a hundred showing up would be an excellent turn out. Too many people had too many things to do that a good impression would not be enough to convince them to give him a try.  
Everyone in the house now knew of Ranma's plans, Ranma having told them of his campaign. Kasumi had offered to bake some brownies for the welcomed visitors, much to Ranma's protests. He had wanted to do everything himself but it seemed like everyone wanted to help. Soun and Genma mowed the lawn, something Ranma had never crossed Ranma's mind. Akane went about fixing up the garden, upending whatever weeds there were. Nabiki went about helping Akane out as well.  
"I was wrong about you," Nabiki had said to Ranma.  
"Huh?" Ranma scratched his head, "Wrong about me in what way?"  
Nabiki just gave Ranma a warm smile and headed off to help out Akane. Ranma had no real idea what she meant by that but he didn't really care. Little did Ranma know that Nabiki went up to her room and ripped up the photo she took of Ranma that day she saw him talking to all those women, very angry at herself for having thought the worst of Ranma.  
At around fifteen to noon, he spied three females walking down the street, heading in his general direction. His heart skipped a beat in excitement as he recognized them. They were three of the four beautiful females he had spoke to first when he started this campaign, the beautiful business women that were on their way to the train station when he met them.  
"Well, we're here," one of them said.  
"Morning Minda, Cheri, Mika," Ranma greeted them by their names. The fact that Ranma remembered their names made him seem much more personable in their eyes.  
"Amasa couldn't make it," one woman said, "She's visiting relatives,"  
Ranma smiled, "It bothers me none. I'd be glad if even one of you came, let alone three. You three plan on participating or just watching?"  
"We'll watch, for now," one of them said, "But we're dressed appropriately as you have mentioned just in case we decide watching isn't good enough and want to learn,"  
Ranma chuckled, "That's good to hear. I'll do my best to get you girls wanting to participate then. Anyway, you're a bit early but that's no problem. Just head on in and head around the house to the dojo. I'll be with you shortly,"  
"Okay," all three of them said, entering through the front gate.  
He waited around patiently for around five minutes before two large groups of females could be seen approaching the house, each group coming down from either directions down the road.  
When they all approached him, he greeted each and everyone one of them by name, surprising everyone there on how he could remember so many names. He told them all that they were glad he could come and told them to walk around the house and to wait in the dojo. Most of them seemed a bit skeptic about Ranma's abilities, he being so young-  
looking, but it seemed like the first impression Ranma made on them had been effective enough for them to give him the benefit of the doubt.  
"Man, that rocks, I've already got more than a hundred potential students," Ranma said, wondering just how many of those would decide to stay one and take more lessons.  
When it was exactly noon, Akane emerged out through the front gate.  
"Hey," Ranma smiled, "How goes the dojo? Is everyone getting restless?"  
Akane gave a shrugged, "Okay, I guess. Not yet. I didn't anticipate so many people showing up. The dojo is almost to capacity,"  
Ranma said, "Don't worry. If more show up, we can move the class outside into the backyard. There's plenty of space there,"  
Akane stared at Ranma for a bit. She was very nervous about the what was to come but Ranma seemed perfectly at ease, as if he was born for something like this.  
"You better start the class now," Akane said, looking at her watch, "It's now exactly twelve. I'll stay out here and show anyone showing up late the way to the dojo,"  
Ranma smiled warmly, "Okay, thanks,"  
He headed in through the front gate.  
Ranma stood in the front of the dojo floor mat and looked at the class in front of him. There were around forty five females standing on the floor mat, ready to learn. The remaining ones all stood along the walls in the back, there to observe.  
Genma and Soun were not there. That meant Ranma was the only male among a very large group of females.  
"Everyone, my name is Ranma Saotome," Ranma said in a loud voice, "I'm glad you've all come. I'm going to be your sensei for today as well as tomorrow, provided you deem me worthy enough and come back on Sunday,"  
Everyone laughed.  
"What I'm gonna be teaching you today are tried-and-true techniques to real-  
world situations," Ranma said. He then pointed toward a very meek looking woman at the front of the class, "Jennifer, can you please step forward and help me with something?"  
The girl nervously stepped forward.  
Ranma smiled toward the nervous girl, "Don't worry, Jen. I won't let anything happen to you. Please, hold out your right hand,"  
The girl seemed to calm down somewhat. This was because Ranma definitely had a knack for making people feel comfortable around him. His voice was soft and he always made eye contact.  
She held out her right hand.  
Ranma slowly, not wanting to frighten the girl, reached out and closed his hand around her wrist.  
"Okay, Jen, try and pull your wrist away," he said softly.  
The girl tried to yank her wrist away but couldn't, Ranma's hold too taut for her. As she continued to struggle, the look of frustration could be seen on her face, as if the motions made her recall a similar situation she had been in.  
"That's enough," Ranma said. He waited for her to stop struggling before he let go of his hold of her, to let the class see that it was he that let her go, not she having broken his hold. He also let go to make the girl feel more at ease.  
"I was just holding onto her wrist," Ranma said to the class, "I'm sure many of are familiar with this situation, where some guy grabbed your arm but you just wanted to get away from him. What Jen here did, trying to yank her arm away but being unable to because the guy is stronger than her, is probably something many of you tried to do as well,"  
Many of the girls in the room nodded in agreement.  
Ranma held his hand forward toward the girl, "Here, please grab my wrist like I grabbed yours a second ago. Hold on tightly,"  
She did as she was told.  
"Okay, now let's say I'm in Jen's shoes and she's the guy grabbing a hold of my arm," Ranma said, moving his arm around slowly as if he were trying to yank his arm out but couldn't. One of the reason why is due to the differences in strength. A guy is usually stronger than the girl. Of course, there are exceptions, but y'know what I mean,"  
Everyone regarded him, following what he was saying.  
"However, there is no need to use strength," Ranma said, "With a simply flick of the wrist, like this," Ranma flicked his wrist, breaking the girl's hold on him, "You can escape the hold,"  
"Wait, can you show us again?" one girl asked near the back of the class, her interest piqued.  
Ranma demonstrated the technique again, doing so from various angles, very slowly so everyone could see it clearly.  
"Now, please turn toward the person nearest you and practice it on one another, alternating between being the person grabbing and the person being grabbed," Ranma said.  
Everyone on the floor mat did as they were told. Ranma could be seen walking around among the group, watching everyone as they went about practicing the technique on their partner. On occasions, he stopped to watch certain partners. To those that had the technique wrong, he would coach them on an individual basis until they got it right before moving onto the next pairing.  
Ranma glanced toward the back of the dojo where he saw several other girls trying the technique out as well. He approached them as well and helped them out patiently. "If you'd like, feel free to step onto the floor mat and practice," Ranma gestured in a soft voice, "It's easier for me to see you and see if you're doing the technique wrong so I can help correct it quicker,"  
After around ten minutes, Ranma walked back to the front.  
"Okay, are you guys comfortable with that technique?" Ranma smiled, "What do you guys think of it?"  
"It's really easy," one girl said.  
"Yes, very easy," another said Ranma smiled, "Yep. Of course, there is a chance that it's easy because you're partnered up with a girl and that she isn't gripping you tightly like a guy would grip you. Because of that, how about we see how well it works on a guy? Anyone here confident enough to step forward and let me grab their wrist?"  
Everyone looked at one another nervously.  
After a moment, one girl stepped forward, Jen, the meek girl from before.  
Ranma smiled. He took a hold of Jen's extended hand. On the first try, she panicked and messed up the motions. Ranma simply told her it was alright and to just relax, that it wasn't a test.  
When he took a hold of her wrist a second time, she flicked her wrist in the way he had taught her. To her surprise, Ranma was unable to keep his hold.  
The class broke out in cheer as most of the women started clapping.  
Ranma smirked, "Man, it's not hard to amuse you guys, huh?"  
"Well, perhaps it's because you're a guy and have never been in such a situation," one girl in the back said, "I'm pretty sure, for us, many of us, we've been in such a situation,"  
"That's correct," Ranma nodded, "Okay, what I just showed you was how to break out of a specific hold on a specific are. Now, let's all switch hands and try it again. Afterall, there's no telling which arm someone might grab so, naturally, it's recommended that you know how to break the hold on both arms,"  
Everyone went about practicing again. Many of them made mistakes, not used to mirroring their motions since they were using a different arm. However, before long, everyone started picking it up.  
After ten minutes of practicing had elapsed, Ranma stopped the class to speak to it again. He then went about teaching them how to break out of a hold had someone grabbed one arm with their opposite arm.  
Before long, Ranma taught four techniques on how to escape arm grabs based on which arm was grabbed by which arm from their assailant. Afterall, a technique where someone grabbed one's left arm with his left arm was different from a technique where someone grabbed one's left arm with his right arm.  
"Now that I've showed you how to escape a very common hold, what else would you guys like me to teach you how to escape?" Ranma asked, "I don't wanna lead the class. I want you guys to lead the class. What kinda things do you girls deal with that you want to have a response to? Sexual harassment like someone grabbing your butt? Someone putting their arm over your shoulder when you don't want it there? Someone backing you up against a wall and placing both arms on the wall behind you and you're between their arms? How to keep a door closed when the guy is trying to push or pull it open? How to get past someone that is standing in front of you and mimicking your moves as to not let you pass him?"  
Everyone looked at one another. It seemed like everything Ranma suggested were things all of them were eager to learn.  
"Sexual harassment," one woman suggested loudly, "The one where some asshole grabs your butt during work," "Yeah!" several girls cheered, eager to learn.  
Ranma motioned for another girl to step forward, "Mataki, can you please step forward?"  
The girl nervously stepped forward.  
"Okay," Ranma turned his back toward the girl, "Pretend you're the guy and I'm the girl and grab my butt,"  
"What?" the girl blushed, "You want me to grab your butt?"  
Ranma nodded, "Yeah, I'll demonstrate how to deal with it," "Um," the girl seemed hesitant.  
Ranma laughed, "Don't worry, I'll get my revenge when I get to grab your butt after you learn the technique and are expected to try and use it against me,"  
The whole class burst out laughing.

At around six in the afternoon, Ranma concluded the class. He had originally planned on teaching until around four but ended up teaching for an additional two more hours, most of the girls staying there the whole time. He was surprised that well over a half of all the girls that showed up stayed the whole time, figuring many of them needed to leave early to do something else like start dinner or eat or such. Actually, Kasumi bringing in brownies and drinks for everyone at around three helped kept everyone going.  
"Well, everyone, I hope you guys enjoyed class," Ranma bowed politely, everyone bowing politely in return, "I hope you all found the session productive and not a waste of time,"  
"You were great," one woman said.  
"I learned a lot today," another woman said.  
"I'll definitely be here tomorrow," another one said.  
Ranma watched as the last of the potential students left the dojo. Once they were all gone, Genma, Soun, and Akane approached him as he sat down on a bench in one corner of the room.  
"So, guys, whatcha think?" Ranma smirked.  
"That was great, Ranma," Akane said truthfully.  
"I'm proud of you, son," Genma said, "You make a great sensei,"  
"I'm very impressed, Ranma," Soun said, "Your teaching methods are a bit unorthodox, but they work. I was amazed at how you seemed to draw in everyone watching into participating,"  
Ranma smiled, "Thanks,"  
"I wonder how many will be back tomorrow and how many will join," Soun said, "It'd be great if everyone joined. If that were the case, Ranma, you will have drawn in more students in two days than this school had in years,"  
Ranma smirked. He knew the truth. The dojo hadn't had students in years. The money Soun had didn't come from teaching martial arts. It came from the fact that he was a council member of Nerima. It was very modesty pay, but it was pay nonetheless.  
"I'm pretty sure many will join," Ranma said confidently, "I think that today went so well that there's a good chance we will see new faces because the ones here today might bring others for tomorrow,"  
Soun looked hopeful, as if the future of the School rested on Ranma's shoulders.  
"I really hope so,"

The next day, Sunday, was much like Ranma had anticipated.  
When noon rolled around, there were around thirty more potential students than there were on Saturday. Some of them were ones that he had met before but couldn't make it on Saturday. The rest came there because others whom had been there dragged them along. Oddly enough, all those new faces were female, easily convinced to come along because they had been told that the class were all female.  
Before even the first girl could cross the gate, Ranma tested them.  
"Do you want to find out if you can break a hold I showed you yesterday?" Ranma asked returning faces. He asked them, to give them a chance to see if they could see if they retained what they learned. For the girls that accepted, Ranma grabbed them in one of the many ways he had taught them. The majority of them managed to escape or counter the hold without much trouble. Some took a moment before they recalled what they learned and broke out. All the girls that did accept managed to break out of those holds.  
For the girls that didn't feel confident and declined, Ranma just gave them a warm smile and told them that it was perfectly all right for them to have declined if they didn't feel confident.  
Ranma taught in the exact same fashion as the other day, by asking the girls what they wanted to learn and ways to deal with certain situations. This time around, Genma and Soun were there to observe, the two of them the only ones sitting in the back of the dojo.  
He gave a recap of around half the lessons he had taught the other day. Even though most of the people there had learned it before, they had no problems with practicing them again. This is was because they believed the extra practice was just as useful as learning something new.  
Ranma also created new scenarios and situations for the class, all of them real-world scenarios many of them were familiar with or had gone through and wished they had been able to have dealt with it with knowledge of how to deal with such a situation.  
"Are you ever going to teach us how to punch or kick?" one woman asked when Ranma asked the class for suggestions of scenarios to deal with.  
Ranma said to the class, "You guys interested in learning kicks and punches?"  
"Yeah!" many of them cheered.  
"Okay," Ranma said, "I can do that,"  
He went about explaining how there were several vital and vulnerable areas on a person's body, explaining how each of those spot, if hit correctly, could send a person keeling over in pain or disoriented.  
"And last but certainly not least, the groin," Ranma smirked, "I'm not gonna teach you about hitting that place because I'm pretty sure all you girls learned that hitting that place on a guy's one really easy to make a guy cry. You girls probably learned it in the playground in elementary school, where you kicked boys there just for the heck of it,"  
The entire class burst out laughing, enjoying Ranma's down-to-earth comments. He was very informative but in a creative and humorous fashion.  
He didn't spend much time explaining them the form for punching and kicking. Instead, he spent the bulk of his time explaining the exact location of where to strike the person. "Pop, Mr. Tendo, come up here," Ranma smirked.  
"Us?" Genma and Soun pointed at themselves.  
Ranma nodded, "Yep,"  
Genma and Soun went up to the front of the class.  
"This here's my old man, Genma Saotome, and this is Soun Tendo," Ranma gestured, "Um, they taught me martial arts that I know,"  
"That means-" one girl began.  
"Yes," Ranma nodded, "Like the way I'm your sensei, they are my sensei. Anyway, the form for your punches and kicks don't need to be perfect. The most important aspect of attacking is in the location of your attack," Ranma gestured toward Genma and Soun, "These two have offered to help out with today's class. They have volunteered to be the punching dummies for your punches and kicks, to show to you through their pain if your punches and kicks land in the right location,"  
"We are?" they both said.  
Ranma chuckled, "Now you are,"  
The class burst out laughing. It was obvious that that was completely unplanned but the class really liked Ranma's spontaneity. "Come on, guys, it's all for the sake of the art," Ranma taunted.  
"If that's the case, you join offer to be the punching dummy as well," Genma smirked. If he was going down with Soun, he might as well bring his son along with him. He was that kind of father.  
Ranma turned toward the class, "What do you say class? Wanna kick my ass as well?"  
The class burst out in cheer. "Okay," Ranma stepped forward, "I'm game. I'll volunteer. Okay, class, everyone, please line up in a single file in no particular order,"  
The class did as Ranma had requested, lining up in a single file. Because there were so many students, the line reached the back of the dojo and snaked along the back wall toward the entrance. "Here's what we do," Ranma said, "Because each one of us are different in size, that means the locations of our vital points are in different locations. We will stand here as you individually approach us and try and hit us in one of our vital spots. Uh uh, don't even THINK of us letting you hit is in THAT vital spot,"  
The class burst out laughing.  
"How about that solar plexus spot?" one woman asked.  
"That sounds like a good idea," Ranma said. He looked at Soun and Genma to either side of him, "You guys ready?"  
"Your methods are very unorthodox," Soun muttered, "But I guess I have no choice. Afterall, this is all for the art,"  
"I don't want to do this for the art," Genma complained, worried that he was going to get really hurt.  
Ranma sneered, "Dad!"  
"Fine fine," Genma relented, believing that this was for the better. If he really thought about it, if doing this helped draw in potential students, that meant he might be able to start teaching as well. He had applied for a job at a local acupuncture clinic the other day and word hadn't gotten back to him yet. He had a funny feeling he would rather teach martial arts than work as an assistant. Even though he wasn't all that great a father, he was a good martial arts teacher, having taught Ranma, afterall.  
"All right, let's begin," Ranma said.  
The woman at the very front of the line walked forward. She punched Genma right in the solar plexus. The man keeled over, winded. The woman's eyes widened in surprise.  
"Wow, did I do that?" the woman's eyes were wide.  
Ranma said, "No, my old man faked it. Pop, quit it,"  
Genma sighed as he straightened up. The punch didn't hurt but he would rather have it that way. He didn't want to allow himself to get hit in the solar plexus. Getting hit there really hurt.  
"You need to punch him right here," Ranma gestured, "Because he's taller than me, you need to hit him a little bit higher,"  
"Okay," the woman said. She cocked her arm back and punched again. This time, Genma keeled over, gripping his stomach, the wind knocked out of him, coughing.  
The class burst out laughing. Genma was a very large man, his size even intimidating to the many women that didn't know him, that the sight of him seeming so stunned after an attack was amazing.  
Ranma smirked, "That's perfect. Now try it on me," When the woman hesitated, "Don't worry. It'll be fine,"  
"Um, okay," the woman said. She punched Ranma right in the solar plexus.  
"Erk!" Ranma gasped for air, keeling forward. He winced in pain, rubbing at his chest, breathing heavily, "That's good,"  
The woman, caught up in the moment, stepped toward the side and punched Soun in the solar plexus as well, the man keeling over before he had a chance to protest and ask that the woman hit him lightly.  
Satisfied, the woman walked away and took a spot at the back of the line, just as the woman now in the front of the line walked forward to try out what she learned.  
The color from Genma's and Soun's face became pale as they realized that they were in for a world of hurt. There were well over a hundred potential students. That meant they would be punched in the solar plexus at least over a hundred times.  
Ranma smirked. Today's lesson was going to be a painful one for them.

"That concludes our lessons," The class started clapping, grateful for Ranma and all that he had taught them.  
"If you guys are interested in learning more martial arts, please sign up and join our school," Ranma gestured toward a stack of paper and a box of pens near the back of the dojo, "It's only two thousand yen per month,"  
The price for lessons was so low that many of the people present thought Ranma was crazy or had no grasp just how little he was charging. Two thousand yen was around twenty US dollars.  
"Are you sure?" one girl had to ask, "At that price, I feel like I'm taking advantage of you,"  
"Pervert," Ranma grinned, "I'm only sixteen,"  
"Not like that!" the girl shouted, embarrassed.  
Ranma burst out laughing as did most of the class.  
"Actually, two thousand yen per month is fine," Ranma said, "It's a special that will only work if you sign up today,"  
Ranma smiled. The fee to sign up was so incredible that no one would want to pass it up. All the girls would be signing up and for probably a good year or so. When word got out that the school had many women training there, guys would want to join the school and would be more than willing to pay a good price for lessons. Girls joined because they were interested in learning martial arts. Guys would be joining, interested in the women. It was a rather devious strategy, but that was how men were.  
Everyone in the class headed over to the stacks of paper and picked one up each and could be seen signing up.  
Soun turned toward Ranma, tears flowing from his eyes from the happiness, "I'm so happy. You have revitalized this school,"  
Ranma smirked, "Not completely. I got the ball rolling. It's up to you and my Pop to get everything squared away and help out with the teaching,"  
"You don't have to worry about that," Soun said, "We can handle that,"  
Ranma smiled, "Cool,"  
Soun hugged Ranma, threatening the squeeze the life out of him.  
"Erk," Ranma said.  
"You make me so proud," Soun had to say, "I look forward to the day you and my daughter marry and we become one big family,"  
"Um, yeah," Ranma said, feeling bad that Soun would be in for a very big disappointment a few months from now. He grew fond of this family, but this was not his family.  
He didn't belong on that world, afterall.  
Casting a glance over toward Akane, he noticed the deep blush on her face. He didn't need to be a genius to know that Akane had already taken a shining to him. Of course, he didn't have to worry about her having fallen in love with him anytime soon which meant she would be able to get over him after he left.  
Of course, he wondered how he was going to break the news to her of who he really was.  
Nabiki was walking down the stairs as Ranma was on the way up.  
"How went the lessons?" she was curious. She had been shocked at how many people she saw enter the dojo yesterday and today and was curious as to how many people signed up afterwards.  
"Fine," Ranma said, "We've got over a hundred and fifty people signed up,"  
Nabiki's eyes widened in shock, "Really? That's amazing,"  
She could already see herself living a better life, her father now able to take the family out to dinner from time to time.  
"That's what, an additional nine hundred thousand yen per month income," Nabiki did the calculations in her head, "That's amazing,"  
That was around nine thousand US dollars. That would be equivalent to around a hundred thousand US dollars a year income, a very very good family income by Japanese standards.  
Ranma said, "Nine hundred thousand yen? Not quite that much. At two thousand yen per person, that makes it at around three hundred thousand yen, a third of the amount," That was around three thousand US dollars a month, which equated to around thirty-six thousand US dollars a year income, enough to live on, but not enough to live well on.  
"Two thousand yen per month? That's so cheap!" Nabiki nearly shouted, angry at Ranma for such a missed opportunity, "Don't you have any business sense?"  
Ranma smirked, deciding to let Nabiki rant on like the young woman she was.  
"You need to account for cost of overhead and such," Nabiki said, "At that amount, you're not making much profit, if any. The amount of time put in doesn't make it worthwhile,"  
Ranma crossed his arms in front of his chest, "Nabiki, lettme get this straight, you're angry at me because I charged two thousand yen per student instead of six thousand yen? Didja know I cut school and spent an entire morning doing so and missed a pop quiz in the process? Didja know that I spent an entire weekend cleaning up the dojo so it would look nice? Didja know I was the one that taught those classes? "  
Nabiki found herself at the loss of words.  
After a moment, she smirked, "Did you know that the dojo you used was my father's dojo and not yours?"  
"Didja know that I had your father's permission?" Ranma replied.  
Nabiki said nothing.  
"The reason why I chose such a low rate is because I like teaching and am not in it for the money," Ranma said, "It is enough to cover overhead and allow the family an occasional meal out every here and there. However, that's not the only reason,"  
Nabiki asked, "And what reason might that be?"  
"I only drew in females for students," Ranma stated, "Once word gets out that the school teaches many females, guess who will want to join up right away?"  
"Guys," Nabiki realized.  
"They're gonna be joining just to use the dojo as a social grounds for meeting women," Ranma said, "That's where they'll realize that the dojo does not charge reasonable rates to people like them,"  
Nabiki's eyes widened, "That's brilliant. That's like clubs charging and entry fee for guys while allowing girls to get in for free, because the girls draw in the guys,"  
Ranma patted Nabiki's head, smiling at her much like the way an adult smiled to a child, "Very good, Nabiki. If we get ever married, I'll be sure to let you be the breadwinner of that marriage,"  
Nabiki blushed, "M-married?"  
Ranma didn't hear or see her, having walked past her and up there stairs, muttering to himself, "I'm tired. I'm off to take a nap,"  
She continued to blush as she watched Ranma head all the way up the stairs and disappear as he turned down the hallway.  
Because of Ranma, when the guys started signing up for classes, the whole family will be far better off than had Ranma charged six thousand yen. Because he had charged so little a rate, all women felt it was a bargain they couldn't pass up, the reason why so many of them signed up in the first place.  
Nabiki smiled. She had definitely been wrong in her judgment of Ranma. Not only had she wrongly accused him of being some kind of playboy, which made her feel terrible for having considered using those pictures she had taken of him as a form of blackmail, but he also had a keen business sense. To her, Ranma had a bright future ahead of him, an aspect of him she found very attractive. He was definitely a good catch. And what was great was that he was only a year younger than her, not that much of an age difference that it really mattered.  
"What am I thinking?" Nabiki said to herself, blushing.  
The next day, Monday, after their morning jog, Ranma and Akane walked to school together.  
"Man, I'm getting so sick and tired of this," Akane muttered to herself with a sigh.  
"Huh?" Ranma looked at her, "Sick and tired of what? Of us?"  
Akane blushed, "N-no! N-not that at all! What I mean was that I'm getting sick at tired of those constant morning fights with all those school boys. It's getting ridiculous,"  
Ranma smirked, "What's there to worry about? You handle them fine. It's good practice anyway,"  
Akane turned toward Ranma, "You know how annoying it gets to have to constantly fights all the time?"  
Ranma shrugged, "Don't worry, it'll stop soon,"  
"Really? You think so?" she seemed hopeful.  
"Yeah, word is out that we're engaged," Ranma said, "Before long, they're gonna think it's legit and'll stop bugging ya. Just give it a few days and all,"  
Akane blushed, "I guess you have a point. Um, what do you think of it, the engagement that is?" "It's fake," Ranma answered quickly, using that as an opportunity to make it clear to Akane, "We're only doing this because it's easier to pretend we're engage than vice versa,"  
"Oh, um, I guess you're right," Akane seemed a bit sad.  
Together, the two headed for school. When they arrived, Akane was, once again, attacked by a mob of boys. However, much to her surprise, there weren't all that many boys attacking this time around as last time. "It seems like they're starting to realize that the rumors are true about our engagement and some have stopped attacking," Ranma smirked, looking down at all the unconscious bodies strewn about in the courtyard.  
Akane wiped the sweat from her brow, "I think you're right. I wonder how it'll be tomorrow,"  
"It is I, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High," Kuno made his appearance after all the boys were dispatched.  
"Lemme handle this," Ranma smirked, stepping forward.  
"What, you're going to fight him?" Akane was surprised.  
"Yeah," Ranma said, "I'm gonna make an exception,"  
Akane didn't really know what to say. She felt a sense of exhilaration at the thought of actually seeing Ranma fight for real. She had seen Ranma sparring against his father on occasions but they were only playing around. She was really curious as to how good of a fighter Ranma was and exactly how he fought.  
Ranma shouted out toward Kuno, "Kuno, I challenge you,"  
"Me? What does the lowly Ranma Saotome expect to accomplish, challenging an elite such as myself?" Kuno laughed.  
Ranma smirked, "Do you accept?"  
"Very well," Kuno said, "I accept,"  
Ranma bent down and picked up a rock. He threw it at Kuno, hitting him right in he head, knocking the man out. When Ranma realized what had happened, he looked disappointed.  
"Jeez, he fucking got knocked out,"

The teacher Ranma had talked to the other day approached Ranma and Akane as they were walking down the hallways on their way toward class.  
"Ranma, I'd like to have a word with you," the teacher said.  
"Oh? Of what?" he asked curiously.  
"I think you should be transferred," the teacher said.  
"Eh?" Ranma asked.  
"What?" Akane asked, believing that what the teacher was doing was unfair.  
"After the other day's display, I have decided to transfer you to another class," the teacher said.  
Ranma said, "Why, you're pissed off because of my outburst?"  
The teacher cleared his throat, "No, not that. You have displayed to me, by answering that quiz question I showed you, that you are not being challenged enough in your studies,"  
Ranma seemed confused.  
"It seems like your delinquency tendencies come from you not being mentally challenged in class," the teacher said.  
"So, what's your point?" Ranma was still confused, "What, you wanna put me in some kinda advanced class, expecting that it might be more mentally stimulating to me or something?"  
The teacher nodded, "Yes. There are many students that are rebellious because they find class boring because they're not being challenged enough with subjects being taught in general classes. If you are to be transferred to more advanced classes, I'm sure you will enjoy class more,"  
Ranma said, "No,"  
"No?" the teacher was surprised.  
"Not interested," Ranma said.  
"Why not?" the teacher asked.  
Ranma jerked a thumb toward Akane, "I've got my reasons for not leaving the class. I'm declining because of that,"  
Akane blushed. "But-" the teacher said.  
"Sorry," Ranma said, annoyed, "I'm not interested and don't wanna switch. At least this way, I have people I know in class with me,"  
The teacher said nothing.  
"Now, if you don't mind, we've both got class," Ranma headed off, Akane following behind him, staring up at him.  
Akane stole glances toward Ranma's sleeping form.  
Is Ranma staying in class because of me, she wondered. He has the ability to take more advanced classes but is passing it up. Being in honor classes will look much better on the transcript for college later on. I don't understand. Does he really care about me because he's willing to do that?  
She felt very confused. She had no idea how Ranma felt about her. They enjoyed each other's company and it's really easy talking to one another. They had quite a bit in common. He was really nice to her and she remembered several times catching him staring at her almost lovingly, as if he had much deeper feelings for her besides that of friendship, as if they used to be in love with one another in a previous life.  
She knew how she felt about him. She really liked him. She noticed that she seemed much less prone to violent outbursts or even getting angry. Heck, she found it very hard to get angry at him, even for some of the antics he did like smacking her backside. He was smart, strong, handsome, and basically everything a girl looked for in a guy.  
She liked him. That she knew. There were several times she actually did wonder what it would be like to be married to him, something that confused the hell out of her because she believed she hated boys. Actually, she still did but Ranma was completely different from any boy she had ever met. There was a maturity to him that seemed far beyond her comprehension.  
Heck, she even found herself acting more feminine around him, or at least to the best of her abilities. She knew she was more self-conscious when he was around, as if his opinions mattered, something she found strange because she never cared about a boys opinion about anything before she had met Ranma. "Akane," came a voice.  
Akane snapped out of her reverie and looked forward toward the teacher that had called out her name.  
"Um, yes," she asked.  
"Since you were paying attention in class, what do you think the answer is?" the teacher asked.  
"Three," Ranma said loudly.  
"Um, that's correct, but I wasn't asking you for the answer," the teacher said to Ranma.  
"Oops," Ranma said, turning toward Akane, "Akane, just pretend I didn't say the answer was three,"  
The class broke out laughing.  
The teacher cleared his throat before turning back toward the chalkboard to continue his lesson, his question answered.  
"Um, thanks," Akane whispered to Ranma.  
"No prob," Ranma smiled warmly. He then went back to resting his head on the table, as if waiting for sleep to bestow him.  
Akane regarded him for a moment. She knew he had done that on purpose, answered for her because she didn't know what the answer was. It was little nothings like that that made her wonder if Ranma had deeper feelings for her than friendship. She sighed. She really had no idea. She liked him more than that of a friend but she had no idea if the feelings were reciprocated.  
Life was so confusing.

new stuff

Ranma and Akane walked home after school was over.  
Akane was strange silent and Ranma noticed this.  
"Something th'matter?" he asked.  
"Oh, nothing," she blushed. A thought had crossed her mind at how embarrassing it would be if she said something like 'Um, I like you'.  
Ranma decided he wasn't going to press on. He knew she was starting to develop feelings for him but knew there was really nothing he could do about it. He had no intention of purposely being an asshole simply to get her to hate him. In a sense, he was between a rock and a hard place. He liked being nice to Akane and how nice she was around him. But because of that, she was starting to like him more and more with every passing day. Of course, he could always ignore her and just do his own thing, like make himself get expelled and move out and get his own place and just live out life until Happousei appeared, but he really didn't want to. In a sense, this was his second chance at reliving his childhood the way he wished he could had lived it out.  
"Looks like something bothering you now," Akane stated.  
"Got a lot on my mind," Ranma answered.  
"Care to talk about it?" she asked.  
"No, it's really personal," he said.  
Akane regarded Ranma some more. There was definitely an air of mystery to him that made her want to get to know him more.  
Ranma paused in front of Dr. Tofu's clinic. That place sure brought back memories. A quick glance toward Akane made her recall that Akane had feelings for Dr. Tofu, feelings she gave up when she realized that the man was in love with her sister, Kasumi.  
I wonder if she'll give up her feelings for Dr. Tofu again at around the same time, Ranma thought. I wonder how life would've been different had she kept chasing after him instead of falling for me.  
Akane asked, "This is an acupuncture clinic,"  
"That's cool," Ranma smiled, "Acupuncture is very useful. I'm sure the doctor who specializes in it is a great man,"  
"Oh, he is," Akane said happily, "His name is Dr. Tofu. Hey, I've got an idea, how about we go meet him? I know him, he used to take care of me when I used to get hurt in school and such,"  
Ranma shrugged, "Okay, if y'want,"  
He followed Akane into the clinic.  
"Hello?" Akane called out as the two of them entered the reception area.  
"Akane, what brings you here?" a young looking man with brown hair with a gentle aura to him entered the reception area, "No new injuries I hope,"  
"No, none," Akane blushed slightly. Ranma noticed that it seemed like she still had a crush on the man.  
"Ah, and who might you be?" the man smiled toward Ranma, bowing, "I'm Ono Tofu. Everyone here calls me Dr. Tofu,"  
Ranma bowed politely, "How're you doing? It's nice t'meetcha. My name's Ranma Saotome,"  
"Ranma Saotome, huh?" Dr. Tofu scratched his chin, "You wouldn't happen to be related to a Genma Saotome, would you?"  
"Yeah, actually, I am," Ranma was surprised, "He's my old man,"  
Dr. Tofu smiled, "He was here the other day, on Friday. He had applied for a part-time job here. I haven't gotten back to him yet but there's a good chance I'll end up hiring him,"  
Oh yeah, Ranma thought. My old man used to work here back then. I remember that. He smirked, remembering the time when his father was in his cursed form and tried to answer the phone. That was very amusing, seeing a panda trying to answer the phone.  
"Um, actually, I'm aware of that," Ranma lied, "I came here to, um, sabotage him,"  
"Sabotage him you say?" Dr. Tofu asked curiously.  
"My old man and I are living at the Tendo's," Ranma said, "He and I are gonna be helping teaching martial arts at their dojo. As you can see, if he ends up working here, he won't have time to teach,"  
Dr. Tofu smiled, "Oh, I get it. You have a point. I'll be sure to hire someone else then,"  
Ranma smiled warmly, "Thanks,"  
Dr. Tofu regarded Ranma for a bit, "You're a martial artist, aren't you?"  
"Yeah, same as you," Ranma smiled.  
"Wow," Akane was surprised, "How'd you two know that?"  
"There's an aura to him," Ranma and Dr. Tofu said in unison. They ended up looking at one another before they burst out laughing. Akane seemed confused, not too sure what they meant by there being an aura to them.  
"I've heard rumors that you and Akane are engaged," Dr. Tofu asked, "Am I right?"  
Akane blushed a deep shade of red, looking down at the ground.  
"It's a ruse," Ranma answered, "We're not really engaged. Our parents put us up to it. We're just going along because it's easier to just pretend than to hafta deal with 'em constantly trying to force us together,"  
Dr. Tofu laughed, "That's a rather good plan,"  
Ranma glanced toward the clock, "It's getting late. We better get going. I've got a class to teach,"  
"Well, it was nice meeting you, Ranma," Dr. Tofu smiled warmly, "If you ever get hurt, feel free to stop by any time and I'll tend to your injuries,"  
Ranma smiled confidently, "Thanks, but I have no intention of ever getting injured,"  
Dr. Tofu laughed, "I like your attitude, Ranma. That's a good way of thinking,"  
"Take care," Ranma said, leaving the clinic, "It was nice meeting you,"  
"Bye," Akane left.  
"Take care you two," Dr. Tofu said, waving.  
Together, Ranma and Akane left the clinic.

For the next several days, everything went by without much incident.  
Ranma and Akane went jogging every morning, their jogging sessions lasting the same amount of time but the distance that they jog gradually increasing. When they got back, Ranma would spar against his father shortly, which always impressed Akane at how much energy Ranma had. With every passing day, the mob of boys came out as a mob in attempts to defeat Akane for a date. After they were incapacitated, Ranma would step forward to attack Kuno, defeating him every single time with a well aimed rock thrown.  
"I swear, that guy must be brain damaged," Ranma muttered, "Does he not learn from his mistakes?"  
To which Akane giggled.  
Before long, no more boys came out to attack Akane like every morning. This was because Ranma's constantly defeating Kuno made them realize that Ranma was a very strong fighter and would be a good choice for someone strong like Akane.  
"Akane, we shall no longer challenge you," the group one said, on the last day before she was ever attacked, "Instead, we shall swallow our sobs and give our approval to your engagement to Ranma. If it's Ranma you've chosen, then we shall give you up,"  
After that speech, they never attacked again. Shortly after that, Ranma began to start wondering when Ryoga would be showing up. Ranma knew Ryoga would be showing up suddenly without warning but he had no idea what day. Too much time had passed that he no longer remembered his past well enough to be able to recall which day that would be.  
Kuno continued to attack every morning, spouting some random opening statement before challenging Ranma to a duel. After a while, Ranma finally grew bored of the man and no longer wanted to fight him anymore.  
"It's no fun anymore," Ranma said, "Kuno's so dense that it's not even worth fighting him anymore. It's obvious that my beating him up's not getting through to him,"  
"Don't worry, I can deal with him," Akane said, stepping up to challenge and defeat him.  
Ranma always watched as Akane fought him, always easily winning in the end. Oddly enough, Kuno was a very formidable opponent to someone even as skillful as Akane. Ranma was smart enough to yell taunts at Kuno that always distracted him long enough to be defeated when his attention was elsewhere.  
School was school. Ranma paid no attention, sleeping in class, much to the envy of all the students. They all wished they could not pay attention in class and be able to do well on pop quizzes and such. The teachers stopped calling on Ranma, realizing that whenever they asked him to answer a question, he could answer it.  
Ranma was the only person in the class that left the classroom to use the restroom without telling the teacher. Although Ranma did so without worry, none of the other students had the courage to do so. That was why all the students except for Ranma wore school uniforms. Ranma was the only person with the courage to stand up to authority. Even though all the other students saw Ranma readily stand up against authority, none of those students had the courage to follow his lead.  
When lunchtime rolled around, few students approached Ranma. Ranma, although most of the students considered him a very cool person and wanted to get to know, his hostility toward people barraging him with questions usually warded them off. There were several times when students persisted and continued to ask him questions and he got angry.  
"Go away," Ranma would say, "Shoo. Go bother someone else,"  
After school, Ranma went about teaching classes while Akane sometimes watched or started her homework early.  
Ranma was a natural at teaching martial arts, at least that was how Akane saw it. She never participated in class, hanging around the back and observing. She was actually embarrassed about participating. She didn't like the thought of Ranma giving her the exact same scrutinizing gaze as he gave all those women in the class.  
After a while, she left Ranma to do his own thing while she did her own thing, that usually be either homework or watching some television or reading a book. When evening rolled around, everyone had dinner together. After that, they were free to waste away the rest of the evening until it was time to go to sleep.  
"Do you ever do homework?" Akane once asked, usually seeing Ranma hanging sitting in the dining area watching television.  
"No," Ranma said, "I haven't done homework since I started school here and I don't intend to start,"  
"Why not?" she asked, "It counts for twenty five percent of your grade. Even if you get a perfect score on the quizzes and tests, the best you can ever get is a 'C', provided the teacher gives extra credit assignments,"  
Ranma shrugged, "It don't bother me none,"  
"But you're easily capable of getting an 'A'," Akane said, as if angry at him.  
"Hey, why're you getting angry at me for?" Ranma asked.  
"Because you're wasting your potential," Akane snapped, "You can get an 'A' in all your subject but you're settling for 'C's and such, even 'D's. Why? Why don't you apply yourself?"  
"Because I know I'm not cut out for school," Ranma answered truthfully, "I never...um, I have no intention of going to college,"  
"What? Why not?" She asked.  
"Because it's my decision and mine alone," Ranma replied, continuing to watch television. He didn't condone dropping out of school, but that didn't mean he was vehemently against it either. "Well, maybe you can help me out," she said from out of the blue.  
"Huh?" Ranma looked away from the television to look at her.  
Akane blushed, "Perhaps you can help me out a bit,"  
Ranma had this shocked look in his face, "Lemme get this straight, you want me to help you with homework?"  
Akane said nothing. She had realized she was struggling in a few subjects. Everyone in class, even Akane herself, knew that Ranma knew more about every subject being taught than anyone else. Ranma burst out laughing.  
Akane glared at him, her hands clenched into fists, "You could've just said something like 'no' instead, jerk,"  
He wiped the tears of laughter from his eyes, "Oh, no, not that. I wasn't laughing at you or nothing. I was just laughing at the hilarity of the situations. Of all things, I should be asking you for help," "Huh? What do you mean?" she asked.  
Ranma waved a dismissive hand, "Nevermind,"  
He was surprised at how much things had changed. When he was young, he was always on the borderline of failing each and every one of his classes. Many times he had contemplated asking Akane for help with his studies and homework and many times he had refused to ask out of pride. He found it very surprising that he, given the kind of past he had, was now being asked for help by the same girl that he had wanted to ask for help before.  
He gave her a warm smile, "Would you like me to help out with homework?"  
Akane blushed, "Um, yeah, I'd like that if possible,"  
"Fine," Ranma said, "I guess there's no harm in that,"  
From then on, Akane and Ranma studied together. They ended up deciding on doing homework in the dining area after they had eaten dinner. The one time she had suggested her room, she learned that she did not want Ranma in her room.  
Akane had been very nervous about having Ranma in her room helping her out with homework, but because she was used to doing homework in her room, she figured it was better that way. On the first day when they were in her room, Akane was very nervous.  
"Well, this is my room," Akane said nervous, "There's my desk, my bed, and my dresser drawer," It had been the first time a boy had ever been in her room. Sure, Ranma gave off this aura that there was nothing to worry about about having him in her room, but she was still nervous.  
Ranma smirked, "Thanks for the quick tour. I don't think I would've found your bed, dresser drawer, and desk without your guide,"  
Akane blushed. She had been so nervous about Ranma's presence in her room and how it suddenly felt smaller than usually that she didn't realize she had trouble with her words.  
She quickly went about getting her books out of her book bag.  
"Ooh, what cute panties," Ranma said after a moment.  
"What?" she asked, looking down at herself to make sure she wasn't sitting in a revealing position. She wasn't'. She looked at Ranma to see what he meant by that. When she saw him, her eyes widened in shock.  
Ranma was holding up a pair of Akane's panties up in front of him, a grin on his face. He had opened up her panty drawer and pulled out a pair of her panties, grinning like an idiot at her.  
"You pervert!" Akane shouted, flushing red with mixture of embarrassment and anger.  
"C'mon, I'm just teasing you," Ranma smiled, throwing her her panties, "You should lighten up. They look cute anyway,"  
"R-really?" she asked, caught off-guard. After a moment she said, "Wait, I don't care. You're still a pervert!"  
Ranma laughed, "That I am,"  
Akane took a step toward him, looking as she was just about to slug him.  
"I'm sorry," Ranma said, holding his hands up defensively, "I was just teasing. I didn't realize you were gonna react that way,"  
Ranma had realized that he had overestimated his own charms, that Akane was still Akane and that he had not made a good enough impression on her that she would let something like that slide.  
"Hmph!" Akane snorted in annoyance, crossing her arms in front of her chest, "I'll let this one go. Next time you try something like that again, you're going to regret it,"  
They never did homework in Akane's room after that incident. The two of them did their homework in the dining area from then on. Actually, they didn't do their homework. Only Akane did her homework. The homework session ended up with Ranma lying around watching televisions while Akane tried to do her homework over the distraction of the television. Whenever she had trouble, she would ask for Ranma's help to which he would give her a clue on how to answer it. If she couldn't get the answer after getting a few clues, Ranma would then give her the answer and show her.  
"How do you know all of this?" Akane asked one night.  
"I'm a genius," Ranma grinned.  
"No, really," Akane said.  
Ranma narrowed her eyes toward her as she snickered, "Ha ha, Akane. Anyway, there's no real reason why I know this. I probably came across most of what I know during my training trip and associate it with martial arts or whatever technique I was learning at the time. I guess through association is why I remember all the stuff I've learned,"  
Akane was surprised to hear that, "Association through martial arts techniques? That's rather unique,"  
Ranma shrugged, "Seems like it works well so far,"  
Now that he thought about it, that was probably why he remembered everything so well, because he had some weird system of associating anything he learned with martial arts. That was why he was able to remember the names and faces of so many people. The way he associated everything with martial arts made it seems like he had photographic memory or at least something akin to it.  
Akane started doing better in class almost immediately after Ranma started helping her. She was very grateful, even hugging him in a moment of pure joy when she got a quiz grade back and it was a perfect score, just like Ranma's. She hugged him during lunch time on the day she got her quiz back during lunch.  
"Look, I got a hundred," she smiled happily, showing him the quiz, "All thanks to you,"  
"Glad I could help," Ranma smiled. "Thanks," she hugged him. She quickly pulled away when she realized what she was doing, and in the middle of the class during lunch time. Oddly enough, she didn't seem to mind because it seemed like everyone had gotten used to the notion that she and Ranma were fiancees.  
Of course, Ranma seemed surprised at first but managed to compose himself after a second.  
The homework sessions with Ranma really helped. What usually took two to three hours for her to do now only took around an hour to an hour and a half. After she was done with her homework, she had free time to lounge around for a bit before she needed to go to sleep and repeat the day all over again.  
She usually watched television with Ranma. It was yet another thing they did together.  
Within two weeks of showing up, Ranma had made a great impact in Akane's life. It was most unfortunate that Ranma would be leaving one day in the near future.

Nabiki was walking down the stairway one morning, ready to go to school. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw Ranma on his way up.  
"Um, morning, Ranma," Nabiki smiled a bit.  
Ranma's warm smile was almost heart melting, "Morning, Nabiki. Ready for school?"  
"Yes, um, and you?" she nodded, trying to keep her voice calm.  
"Almost," he said.  
He stepped to the side to let her walk by him. She thanked him and did.  
"New shampoo?" he asked from out of the blue.  
"What?" Nabiki was caught off guard. That was the one thing she noticed about Ranma, that he was constantly catching her off guard.  
Ranma said, "It smells like you're using some kinda new shampoo. Your hair usually smell like peaches but now it smells like lavender,"  
Nabiki blushed, "You notice?"  
"Duh, why else am I asking you?" Ranma chuckled.  
"I'm, um, flattered that you noticed," Nabiki tried to think of what to say, currently at a loss of words. She didn't like feeling like she had a conversation out of control but with this one, she definitely felt like she was not in control.  
Ranma nodded, "It smells nice. Your hair looks all nice and healthy and all,"  
"Really?" Nabiki blushed even more, "Um, I was kind of worried how my hair would turn out if I used a new shampoo,"  
"Nah, it looks really cute," Ranma said, "I like short hair,"  
Nabiki said nothing. She wondered if that was some kind of clue she was supposed to make a note of. Ranma liked short hair? She never knew. Did Akane know? It was obvious that Akane did like Ranma to an good extent, perhaps to the point that she was slowly starting to develop a crush on him, but not up to the point where she would cut her hair short for him. Heck, she grew it long in the first place because she had a crush on Dr. Tofu and Dr. Tofu mentioned he liked long hair.  
"Where'dya get the new shampoo?" Ranma asked, "I didn't notice any lavender-  
scented shampoo in the bathroom,"  
"Um, I bought it," she said.  
Ranma smirked, "Really?" This was quite a surprise to him. He knew Nabiki was very careful with her money, so much so that he considered her more frugal. Of course, the Nabiki he knew had no qualms about spending other people's money. It was as if she lived by a certain creed, 'The best way to save money is by spending other people's money'.  
Nabiki subconsciously ran a hand through her hair, "I bought it yesterday, using the allowance money my dad gave me,"  
"Really?" Ranma asked, "What, he gives an allowance?"  
The Soun he knew never gave an allowance. Whenever anyone needed money, they had to ask him. Of course, he usually always gave money, or whatever little of it he had, but he never gave people a weekly allowance.  
"My dad started giving us an allowance," Nabiki said.  
"That's cool," Ranma smirked, "Maybe I should ask him for an allowance also. Afterall, I'm eating his food and using his water and electricity, taking his money as well shouldn't seem all that bad,"  
Nabiki giggled as Ranma chuckled.  
"Actually, my dad's giving us an allowance because of you," Nabiki said, "So in a way, thanks,"  
"Huh? What the heck did I do?" Ranma scratched the back of his head in confusion.  
"Because you brought in business to the dojo, we have extra income," Nabiki said, "And because we have extra income, my dad can afford to give us an allowance. It's all because of you,"  
"Glad I could help," Ranma said, "I didn't like the thought of my old man and I being freeloaders so drawing in students and teaching's the least we could do,"  
Nabiki smiled, "That's really nice of you,"  
"It's no problem," Ranma headed up the stairs, "Well, have fun spending your new allowance,"  
"I'll see you in school," Nabiki said, smiling warmly at him, watching him as he disappeared when he turned down the hallway.  
At the bottom of the stairs, hidden from view, Akane had listened in on the conversation. When she heard Nabiki walking down the stairs, she quickly headed off down the hallway, not wanting to seem like she had been eavesdropping on them like some kind of spy. Her overhearing their conversation had merely been accidental.  
As Akane walked down the hallway, she brushed her fingers through her long mane of hair. She couldn't help but feel like she was being tugged from two sides. Her hair was long because she had a crush on Dr. Tofu, he having a preference for it. And now she found out Ranma's preference.  
"Ranma likes short hair, huh?"

Ranma and Akane walked to school one weekday morning.  
"You got dandruff or something?" Ranma asked from out of the blue.  
"What?" Akane was surprised Ranma was asking her such a question.  
Ranma shrugged, "I dunno. I keep seeing you playing with your hair. I just thought-"  
"I don't have dandruff!" Akane said defensively.  
Ranma held his hands up, "All right. I believe you. No need to pull out a mallet or kendo stick or whatever from wherever and hit me or nothing,"  
"Huh?" Akane looked at him in confusion.  
"Nevermind," Ranma laughed. That was something he had always wondered about. Where did the Akane he knew always come up with all those weapons to hit with back when they were young? Was there some kind of special dimensional pocket that she had where she could store and retrieve said weapons. What kind of dimension might that be?  
Hammer-space, Ranma thought to himself. That's probably what I would call it. It's some kinda dimensional space where she would store her mallet. What about Ryoga? Where did all those headbands of his come from? It's as if he has an infinite supply of 'em. Maybe he gets them from something like bandanna-space. And speaking of Ryoga...  
"Today should be the day," Ranma said to himself confidently. He was sure that today was the day Ryoga would be making the expected unexpected appearance, a paradox if one thought about it.  
"Today should be what day?" Akane asked curiously.  
Ranma said, "Nothing. Don't worry about it,"  
"It's odd, you talk to yourself a lot," Akane stated.  
"Sometimes I've got a lot on my mind that I sometimes think aloud," Ranma shrugged, "I guess it's one of my vices, that I sometimes talk to myself which kinda gives off the impression that I'm, well, crazy,"  
Akane said, "You're not crazy,"  
"Maybe. Maybe not. Who knows?" Ranma smirked. He was pretty sure that when the time came and he told her who he really was, she would instantly think he was crazy. What was ironic is that the crap he had gone through was so crazy that there was no way it could be made up.  
As the two of them entered the court yard, Ranma sensed a fairly strong battle aura nearby. "Wait here for a sec," Ranma told Akane.  
Akane looked at Ranma in confusion but did as she was told. "Lookout!" Akane shouted out to Ranma when she saw a figure descending down from the sky above him, seemingly intent on attacking him. He smiled as he jumped back, glad that Ryoga had finally showed up. He twisted in the air, landing a short distance away as a boy wearing a yellow shirt and black pants and large backpack punched the ground right where Ranma had been standing a second ago, a small crater forming around him from the impact.  
Ranma regarded the boy for a moment and smiled in recognition. Oddly enough, he noticed Ryoga didn't have a bamboo umbrella. This led him to believe that Ryoga no longer had a curse, the sole reason why he had a bamboo umbrella to being with, to avoid getting wet when it rained or getting splashed with cold water.  
"Ryoga," Ranma said.  
"You haven't changed, Ranma," Ryoga sneered, "You're still good at running away," "Someone you know?" Akane asked Ranma.  
Ranma smiled, figuring he might as well play the part, "Not too sure. Looks familiar though,"  
"Just tell me one thing Ranma," Ryoga narrowed his eyes at Ranma, "Why did you run out on our fight? I waited three days at the appointed place. And when I came on the fourth day, you had already run away,"  
Ranma shrugged, "So? It's not my fault you showed up late at the appointed location.  
"So? So? So?" Ryoga started getting angry, "Do you think I was out for a casual stroll for four days? I suffered to meet up with you! And running to China with your father,"  
Ranma said, "It's not my fault you have a lousy sense of direction. You should carry a compass or something,"  
"Why you!" Ryoga got into a battle stance, "Prepare to meet your doom,"  
"What's this all about?" Akane asked, "It's obvious you two know each other. Why's he angry at you?"  
Ranma grinned, "Yeah, why are you so angry?"  
"You know why!" Ryoga said coldly, "All those times during lunch at school. You know how hard it is to get the lunch items you want before they run out? It's a battle field! Every time I was about to get the coveted snack of the day, you would steal it right from my very hands. You have stolen from me more snacks meant for me than I could count. There was the curry bread, chow mein bread, cutlet sandwich, croquette bread, meat bread, all sorts of various snacks,"  
"So?" Ranma shrugged, "And your point being?"  
"I will never forget all those offenses, stealing what was rightfully mine!" Ryoga shouted.  
Ranma said, "Um, dontcha think that's rather petty?"  
Akane said, "Yeah, that sounds rather petty, wanting to fight over something like that. I sometimes don't get the food items I want during lunch but I don't go calling people out over it,"  
Ryoga blushed, "That's not the point! It's the principle of the matter,"  
"So what do you suggest?" Ranma asked, "You wanna fight?"  
"Of course I do!" Ryoga got into his battle stance.  
"Well I don't," Ranma said, "I think it's petty fighting over something like that, even if it is the principle of the matter,"  
"Well I want to fight," Ryoga said coldly.  
Ranma turned toward Akane, "Akane, can you hand me your cell phone please?"  
"Okay," Akane said, realizing what Ranma planned on doing. He was going to pretend he was calling the cops to scare this Ryoga person away from fighting, much like what he did initially to deal with Kuno.  
"That is not good enough," Ryoga said, "We will fight whether you like it or not!"  
Akane handed Ranma her cell phone, "Here you go,"  
"Thanks," Ranma smiled. He proceeded to punch in a few numbers.  
"And who are you calling at a time like now?" Ryoga asked curiously.  
"I'm calling the cops," Ranma said.  
"I don't think so," Ryoga said. Before Ranma realized what Ryoga was doing, Ryoga pulled off one of his bandannas and threw it at Ranma, the projectile slicing right through the cell phone as Ranma held it.  
Ranma's eyes widened in surprise. He had been expecting Ryoga to be scared off like Kuno at the thought of him calling the cops that he never anticipated that Ryoga would do something like that. The accuracy of Ryoga's attacks surprised him as well.  
"Wow," Ranma was impressed, "Not bad,"  
"Now you can't call the cops and must fight me!" Ryoga smirked.  
"You jerk! That was my cell phone!" Akane shouted at Ryoga.  
"What?" Ryoga turned toward the beautiful girl standing near Ranma.  
"You broke my cell phone!" Akane was furious toward this newcomer, "That was mine! How dare you!"  
"Wait, hold up," Ryoga said, "I didn't mean it like that,"  
"Then what are you going to do about it?" Akane crossed her hands in front of her chest, "Are you going to get it fixed?"  
Ryoga looked toward the broken pieces that used to be Akane's cell phone that lay by Ranma's feet, "Um, er, I can replace it,"  
"How?" Akane asked impatiently, "It's broken into a million pieces,"  
Ryoga quickly took off his backpack and knelt down in front of it, opening it and reaching in and fishing around for something. Ranma and Akane watched curiously.  
After a moment, Ryoga pulled out a cell phone. He held it forward toward Akane, "Here, you can have mine,"  
"Whoa, Ryoga, you carry a cell phone?" Ranma was shocked. He never knew this before. If that was the case, that meant the Ryoga he knew carried a cell phone. He laughed, "Man, I'm learning new things every day,"  
Akane took a look at Ryoga's cell phone but didn't accept it, "No, I want my cell phone fixed,"  
"Um, er," Ryoga scratched the back of his head, trying to figure out how to get out of this situation. It seemed like his intended confrontation with Ranma had been put on the backburner as he realized he had more pressing matters at hand.  
"Well?" Akane asked.  
"Um, I dunno," Ryoga said, "I'm trying to think of something. I don't really know how to fix cell phone or get one fixed,"  
Ranma laughed. This was hilarious.  
"Shut up, Ranma! I'll deal with you later!" Ryoga shouted.  
"I've got an idea," Ranma smiled, coming up with a plan, "How about this? Since I don't want to fight and you broke Akane's cell phone, how about I get Akane's cell phone fixed in exchange that you call the fight off?"  
Ryoga's face seemed to show that of relief, "Really?"  
"Yeah," Ranma shrugged. He turned toward Akane, "Well, whatcha say?"  
Akane said, "Okay. I guess,"  
"Don't worry," Ranma said. He turned toward Ryoga, "Well, whatcha say? Do we have a deal?"  
Ryoga nodded, "Deal,"  
"Well, since we have everything settled, let's go to class," Ranma smiled, heading for the school's front entrance.  
Ryoga stepped to the side to let Ranma walk by him, leaving behind Ryoga and Akane.  
"You and Ranma went to school together, huh?" Akane asked Ryoga.  
Ryoga nodded nervously. He noticed the girl before him was very beautiful and looked very kind. Sure, she looked very menacing before when she saw him break her cell phone, but she seemed like an understanding person.  
"What's your name?" she asked curiously.  
"Um, Ryoga Hibiki," he answered.  
Akane said, "You seem like a nice guy. I don't understand why you feel the need to fight over something like that,"  
Ryoga blushed. She thinks I'm a nice guy, he thought. No girl had ever said that to me before, that I seem like a nice guy. Actually, this is the first time a girl really talked to me before.  
"Let's let bygones be bygones," Akane said, smiled.  
"Yo, you're going to be late," Ranma, realizing Akane hadn't been following him, called out from inside the school.  
"Fine fine," Akane called back to Ranma. She turned toward Ryoga, "Well, see you around,"  
"Um, er, l-likewise," Ryoga said nervously.  
He watched as Akane ran off and headed into the school. He watched as she stopped by Ranma and the two of them entering the school together. After a moment, Ryoga realized something, that it seemed like Akane and Ranma were somehow together, like they were friends or a couple.  
Ryoga, blushing a deep shade of red, shouted in an angry voice.  
"A cad like Ranma don't deserve someone as great as Akane!"  
"Who's that waiting out in the courtyard?" one student asked during lunchtime.  
Ranma happened to have been awake at the time. He glanced out the window and saw Ryoga hanging out by tree right near the front gate entrance.  
"Heh, that's the only way he won't get lost, by staying in one location," Ranma smirked.  
"Isn't that that Ryoga person?" Akane asked, "What's he doing here? Has he been waiting out there the whole time?"  
"Maybe he has the hots for ya," Ranma smirked at Akane. Akane blushed, "Ranma!"  
"I'm gonna go find out why he's there," Ranma said, opening the window. Everyone watched as Ranma climbed up onto the windowsill.  
"Ranma, what are you doing?" one student asked.  
"Gonna go out the easy way," Ranma answered, "Lunchtime's almost over and, Knowing my luck, I'll end up bumping into the teacher in the hallway and he'll be giving me crap. It's easier to just ignore it,"  
"This is the third floor!" Akane shouted out too late.  
Ranma leapt up out of the window, somersaulting through the air, twisting through the air in much a fashion like that of a gold medal winning Olympic springboard diver.  
The entire class was stunned speechless, never suspecting Ranma could do something so inhuman. They watched as Ranma soared through the air, landing right by where Ryoga was. A quick glance made them realized that Ranma had probably leapt a good fifty feet horizontally before he landed on the ground three stories below.  
When Ranma landed in front of Ryoga, Ryoga was startled.  
"Hey, Ryoga," Ranma grinned.  
"You!" Ryoga sneered, feeling the need to hurt him.  
"What, you already forgot the deal we made?" Ranma asked, "Are you really that strung up on something as petty as what happened to us before when we were in school together?"  
Ryoga narrowed his eyes toward Ranma, "What are you doing here?"  
"I was just about to ask you the same thing," Ranma said.  
Ryoga reached into his backpack and pulled out a cell phone.  
Ranma regarded it curiously, "What's that?"  
"A cell phone you idiot!" Ryoga said.  
"I know that," Ranma answered.  
"This is Akane's cell phone," Ryoga answered, "I fixed it. I picked up the broken pieces and fixed it,"  
"What? You fixed it?" Ranma was shocked to hear it. He turned around and looked over toward the area where the broken bits of the cell phone had been when they fell to the ground.  
He reached out to take the phone but Ryoga pulled his hand away, "It's not for you!"  
"How'd the hell you fix it?" Ranma asked.  
"It's none of your business," Ryoga retorted.  
"Dude, your animosity toward me ain't healthy, y'know that?" Ranma smirked.  
Ryoga let out an annoyed breath.  
"Well, I'm glad you fixed Akane's cell phone, I'm sure she'll be happy," Ranma said, "What made you want to do that? I told you I'll get it fixed so you didn't hafta worry about it,"  
Ryoga laughed, "Ha, you think I will let you do that? You come out looking like the hero in that situation and I the villain. I'm not letting that happen,"  
Ranma smirked, "And your point being?"  
Ryoga scratched his head, "Actually, I really don't know what the point is,"  
Ranma fell to the ground.  
"Anyway, the past is in the past," Ryoga said, "I don't care about our fight, the fight you ran out on,"  
"Hey, you're the one that showed up late," Ranma said, "It ain't my fault you suck with directions,"  
Ryoga glared at Ranma, "Are you purposely trying to start a fight, Ranma?"  
Ranma shrugged. It wasn't as if he really cared. He didn't particularly care about whether or not he had to fight Ryoga since he was very sure Ryoga would be an easy fight. "I am merely doing this because I don't want Akane thinking bad things about me," Ryoga said, blushing, "I don't want her thinking that I'm some kind of jerk that doesn't respect other people's property. I want her to know that I take responsibility for my actions,"  
Ranma smirked.  
"Why don't you just come out and say 'I like Akane and I intend to get to know her',"

"How come Ryoga is waiting outside?" Akane asked Ranma that after the last class ended. Ranma had come back into class after talking to Ryoga when lunch was over so she had to wait to ask him. Everyone was leaving classes and Akane had noticed Ryoga was still waiting outside.  
"He's not there to challenge you again, is he?" Akane asked.  
"Nah," Ranma said, "He's actually a pretty cool guy and let bygones are bygones. He's actually waiting for you,"  
"A pretty good guy?" Akane asked, "This guy just tried attacking you earlier today. And why would he be waiting for me?"  
Ranma smiled, "We're kinda, like, rivals. We're actually kinda like friends. He's there because he wants to give you your cell phone back, he fixed it,"  
"You two are friends?" Akane asked, "From what I saw, it didn't seem like that. Why would he have my cell phone? Didn't he break it?"  
"He did break your cell phone," Ranma said, "But he fixed it and wanted to give it back to you,"  
Akane said, "Oh, that's nice of him,"  
"Yeah, like I said, he's a nice guy," Ranma said, wondering if his constant praise of Ryoga might get Akane thinking the same thing. Maybe she might grow to like Ryoga more than she currently liked Ranma. That way, when he would leave for his home world, the pain Akane would feel from his departure wouldn't be as bad.  
Together, the two of them headed out of the school where they approached Ryoga as he continued to hang around by the tree. Ryoga actually seemed surprised that Ranma did good on his word, that he would bring Akane out to meet him so he could give him her cell phone back.  
"I haven't officially introduced the two of you," Ranma said, "Ryoga, this is Akane. Akane, this is Ryoga. Ryoga and I know each other from school,"  
"How're you doing?" Akane smiled, skeptic as to if Ryoga was really Ranma's friend. "Um, er," Ryoga was nervous.  
Ranma said, "Ryoga, you mentioned that you have something to give her," "Um, yeah," Ryoga said. He went over to his backpack as it leaned against the tree and began fishing through it. After a moment, he pulled out a cell phone.  
"Um, I fixed your cell phone," Ryoga stated, extended his hand forward for Akane, "I felt really bad about what I did earlier and, um, I wanted to take responsibility,"  
Akane smiled, "Wow, you fixed it,"  
She took a hold of her cell phone, her hand involuntarily brushing against Ryoga's hands as she grabbed her cell phone. Ranma saw Ryoga's face become completely red from embarrassment.  
"Thanks," Akane smiled.  
"Um, er, um, you're welcome," Ryoga said.  
Ranma just sighed and shook his head in disappointment.  
"Man, that guy's too damn shy,"

Ranma and Akane walked home together.  
"Ryoga seems like an okay guy," Akane stated, "Of course, I don't really understand why he suddenly ran away like that,"  
"I guess it's the way he is," Ranma said, "He's pretty shy,"  
Of course, a few decades from now, he still won't change much from the way he is, Ranma thought. He just gets a little less nervous talking to girls. Man, that guy needs to deal with that shyness of his.  
As the two of the walk along, Akane stopped by in front of a book store that had a magazine rack out in front.  
"Why'd you stop?" Ranma asked curiously.  
Akane had caught sight of a hairstyle magazine. She had instantly thought about the time when she overheard Ranma conversing with Nabiki on the stairway and his comment about him liking short hair. It made her curious about possible short-hair hairstyles.  
"Um, can we stop in here for a bit?" Akane asked.  
Ranma shrugged, "Sure. I don't hafta worry about teaching for a couple of hours so I don't see a problem with it,"  
She walked over to where she saw the hairstyle magazine and picked it up.  
"Hairstyles, huh?" Ranma glanced over her shoulder, "Thinkin' about cutting your hair?"  
"Um, I don't know," she blushed slightly, "Maybe. Why, what would you think if I cut my hair short?"  
Ranma smiled confident, "You'd look great," He knew since the Akane he knew had short hair and she looked perfectly fine. Actually, since he was used to seeing Akane with short hair, he preferred it and would most likely prefer seeing the Akane in front of him with short hair as well.  
Akane started leafing through the magazine, curious as to what particular hairstyle she should get.  
"If you're ever thinking of cutting your hair, ask Kasumi," Ranma recalled Kasumi having first giving Akane her hairstyle, "I'm pretty sure she'll give you a good haircut,"  
"You really think so?" Akane asked.  
"Sure," Ranma nodded. He walked off to look at some stuff on his own.  
Ranma grinned when he spotted some interesting reading material, if one could consider it that.  
He picked up an erotica magazine.  
"What are you doing?" Akane said, glancing toward Ranma, shocked at what she saw him pick up. That was one of those erotica magazines that exploited women.  
Ranma chuckled, "What do you think?"  
He started flipping through the magazine. "You pervert!" Akane was appalled.  
He didn't seemed to hear her as he turned around and leaned his back against the magazine rack, leafing through the magazine.  
"Ranma!" Akane said, getting angry.  
"Aren't you supposed to be busy checking out your magazine?" Ranma smirked at her, "You can go look at the magazines you like. I'll look at the magazines I like,"  
She glared at him as Ranma continued to leaf through the magazine.  
"Man, I don't understand why women get all angry about guys looking at this stuff," Ranma sighed, putting the magazine back on the on the rack, "The human body is a beautiful things,"  
"You're not supposed to be looking at those," Akane stated.  
"I know, but I don't care," Ranma grinned.  
Akane glared at Ranma.  
Ranma held his hands in front of him, knowing he had pushed Akane far enough. She looked ready to explode.  
"You're no fun, Akane,"

new stuff 11/2

"We have some new recruits," Nabiki smirked at Ranma. She had been waiting around by the front gate for Ranma and Akane to get back home from school.  
Ranma smiled, "Cool, more girls? I have no gripe with having more girls join the school,"  
Akane glared at Ranma.  
"Sorry to disappoint you, but no girls," Nabiki said, "We have nine new members,"  
Ranma whistled, "Whoa, that's a lot,"  
"Quite so," Nabiki said, "It seems like word has started spreading around about this school's high female enrollment percentage,"  
"That being one hundred percent?" Ranma smirked.  
"Yeah," Nabiki said, "Anyway, it seems like this is the first wave of male members wanting to join. It only took several days before the news started spreading. I'm surprised it spread this quick,"  
Ranma shrugged. He had had been referring to when he first started teaching martial arts on his world. He had done the exact same thing, starting off by recruiting only female members and giving them an enrollment rate that was basically considered a steal, male members soon started flooding the school.  
"How much did your old man charge them?" Ranma asked.  
"Actually, that's what I was curious about," Nabiki said, "My dad told me the rate and even that has me surprised at how much. It kind of makes me wonder if you really know business to charge so much,"  
"How much?" Akane asked.  
Ranma turned toward her, "I asked your old man that if anyone joined, that the rate would be thirty thousand yen per month,"  
That rate was basically equal to around three hundred US dollars a month which equated to over thirty-six hundred dollars a year. It was basically a two hundred and fifty dollars US dollar more per month than most average dojos charged.  
"What?" Akane's eyes widened, "That's downright extortion!"  
Ranma nodded, "Yeah,"  
"They're never going to accept it," Akane said.  
"So?" Ranma shrugged.  
"Do you have any business sense?" Akane said, "We're going to be bringing in no new students at that rate,"  
"I'm going to have to agree with her," Nabiki stated.  
"Heh, compared to me in terms of business, you are little girl," Ranma chuckled, laughing loudly.  
Nabiki smirked, "So says, Ranma, a boy one year younger than me,"  
Akane said, "The amount it's just too high. I can't believe my dad would even go along with the plan,"  
Ranma said, "Why wouldn't he? He owes me that much considering I single-  
handedly jump-started the school's business,"  
"You're saying that like he's obligated to do what you say," Akane said in annoyance.  
Ranma said, "Look, I know it seems crazy to you, but trust me. It's gonna work,"  
Nabiki said, "Still,"  
Ranma crossed his hands in front of his chest, "What are you so worried about? You're not the one doing the teaching. In case you haven't noticed, I teach martial arts because I love to teach, not because of the money. I only charged money because I want to cover the overhead and the money needed for new equipment and such,"  
Nabiki smirked, "If you're not in it for the money, then why would you charge so much toward those new recruits?"  
"Because they're not there to learn martial arts," Ranma said firmly, "They're there because of the females. They're the kind of students I don't want to teach. And for your information, I'm charging them a lot so you guys don't hafta worry about money,"  
Nabiki and Akane said nothing.  
"I know you guys worry about money and such," Ranma said, "That's why I plan on having the dojo bring in more money than you can possibly believe a dojo can bring in,"  
Akane said, "But the exorbitant amount of money people will have to pay will prevent those people who want to learn from being able to join,"  
"If they wanted to learn, they would've joined long ago, before there were girls in the dojo," Ranma said.  
Akane said nothing.  
"Look, just let me handle the dojo," Ranma said confidently, "Your dad has confidence in me and so should you,"  
He headed in through the gate.  
"Now, let's go deal with these new recruits,"  
Ranma and all the new potential recruits were standing in the dojo. Soun and Genma and the girls were there as well. There were no students there yet, class not expected to start for another hour.  
The potential new recruits have come to the dojo to join over the course of the day. Soun, uncomfortable with giving them the rate that Ranma had recommended, had asked that they come back.  
"Three hundred thousand yen per month? That's insane!" one potential student said.  
The man and the other looked to be in their mid-twenties to early thirties. They were all dressed in brand name clothes and had slicked back hair. All but one of them were wearing their shoes as they stood in the middle of the floor mat of the dojo.  
"I'm sorry, I think you mistaken me for someone who cares," Ranma said to the group, showing no signs of intimidation.  
"Are you really the one here who's in charge of the dojo?" one guy asked, casting Ranma a scrutinizing gaze.  
Ranma quickly cast Soun a glance. Soun just gave him a slight nod.  
"Yeah," Ranma answered, "I am in charge,"  
"I heard you only charged two thousand yen for all those girls that joined up last weekend," one man commented, "What you're charging now is over fifteen times more. That's ridiculous,"  
Ranma shrugged, "So? It was a introductory rate for new members,"  
"We're new members," several of them said.  
"The rate only applied to that weekend," Ranma answered.  
"That's bullshit," one guy said.  
Ranma sneered, "You, shut your mouth,"  
The man was momentarily caught off guard by the authority in Ranma's voice. The sixteen year old boy in there had an air of authority that made him seem much older than he looked. "Watch your mouth," Ranma told the man, "I will not have you swearing while within this dojo. Do you understand?"  
The man regarded Ranma for a moment before he nodded. Akane and the others had this stunned look on their faces, shocked at how Ranma could project an aura of authority that surpassed the kind a boy his age could project.  
Ranma cleared his throat, "As I was saying, the rate for this school will be as stated,"  
"That's not fair," one guy said.  
"I'm sorry, I think you mistaken me for someone who cares," Ranma smirked.  
"Why you!" several men sneered.  
"You guys REALLY don't want to try and attack me," Ranma cautioned them, his voice cold, "I may look young, but I suggest you not judge a book by its cover,"  
"Forget it," one man said, "It's obvious that you don't want our business. I'm outta here,"  
Several of the men said the same thing and left the dojo. Four stayed behind.  
"Well, it seems like you four are the ones staying behind," Ranma smirked.  
"I'm interested in staying," one man said, "I'm interested in learning martial arts,"  
Ranma grinned, "Cool. That's perfect. Now that's it's been weeded out who wants to join to learn martial arts and who wants to join because this is a mostly-female dojo, we can get started with signing you guys up,"  
The four of the smiled.  
"Oh yeah," Ranma stated, "Since our main class is full, you guys will be in the new class. It's good anyway since I intend to keep male and female classes separated. You four will be our four newest male members,"  
"Um, now that I think of it, perhaps I'm not cut out for this," one man said.  
Three of the four men made up excuses on why they felt it was unnecessary to join and left the dojo in a hurry. Ranma smirked at the last remaining man.  
The man gave a nervous smile, "Um, it looks like I'm the only one left,"  
"You still interested in joining?" Ranma asked, smiling.  
The man nodded.  
"What's your name?" Ranma asked.  
"Me? I'm Kento," the man pointed toward himself. The man looked very skinny and uncoordinated. He wore a pair of glasses that had tape on it, there to prevent it from pinching his nose.  
"Well, Kento, since it seems it's obvious that you're willing to pay so much to learn martial arts, even if that means you won't be training in a class full of girls, there's only one thing I can do,"  
"And what's that?" Kento asked.  
"I'll be charging you five thousand yen like I charge everyone else," Ranma said.  
"Why am I getting charged less?" the man asked, "I thought-"  
Ranma said, "Because you're the only one here that bothered to take his shoes off when you stepped on the dojo floor mat. You're the only one that seems interested in learning martial arts, not just ogling at the women in the class. It's obvious you has some form of respect toward the art that you guys all seem to be lacking.  
No one said anything.  
Nabiki, after a moment, smiled. Although she really didn't understand as much about martial arts as Ranma or the others, she had a funny feeling that the respect the man was displaying made it understandable why Ranma would charge such a rate, the average rate for most schools.  
"Well, Kento, it seems like you're our first and newest male member," Ranma smiled, "Welcome to the school,"  
"Thanks," the man smiled gratefully.  
"So tell me, what made you decide to join this school?" Ranma asked curiously.  
"I just moved here yesterday," the man said, "Your school's the closest,"  
Ranma smiled, "So you're not joining because our school only taught girls?"  
"You school only teaches girls?" the man asked.  
"Nah, nevermind," Ranma said, "Anyway, welcome to the school. Class starts at five. You'll be learning with the girls. Soun'll help you with the paperwork,"  
The man bowed toward Ranma before heading off to meet up with Soun who gestured him toward a tiny office near the back of the dojo.  
"That's pretty cool," Akane said, "I liked the way you handled things. And here I thought you were going to charge him an exorbitant rate,"  
Ranma said, "Nah. It's obvious he's here to learn. I can't fault a guy for that," He turned toward Nabiki and smirked, "So, Nabiki, do you think I made the right decision, charging the guy a normal rate?"  
Nabiki shrugged, "I don't know. You could have gotten him for the price you had given him since it seemed like he was interested in joining or not, but I guess it was a good choice. It seems like the guy has an interest in martial arts so it's best to give him a price that will not make him think that you are out to just get his money, to let him know that you're interested in teaching him martial arts as much as he is in learning it,"  
"Bingo," Ranma headed for the door, "Anyway, I'm gonna go take a shower now. Gotta get ready to teach class,"  
Nabiki and Akane watched as Ranma headed for the door.  
"Watching Ranma do that, that was kinda cool," Nabiki smirked, "He really knew what he was doing,"  
"Yeah, I agree," Akane blushed. They heard Ranma laugh aloud as he left the dojo and say something that made him seem not quite as cool as they originally thought him to be.  
"Hahaha, I said 'male member',"  
The next several days went by uneventful.  
Ranma went about teaching classes as normal. More and more potential members started joining, all of them undergoing the same 'test' Ranma had put through those other potential members to weed out those there to learn and those there to ogle at the women. As the school started to slowly grow in members, more potential students started joining. Much to the women's delight, all females were given the same rate of two thousand yen per month. Men were given varying rates, some as low as two thousand yen and some as high as thirty thousand yen. It all depended on what Ranma had decided. Ranma could easily tell who was there to learn and who was there to socialize. Those that had the money that could pay for the exorbitant rates found out the hard way that they could not learn in the class with the women, that Soun or Genma taught them later in the night, well after the mostly-female class had ended.  
"Why are you charging him this rate and charging me a higher rate?" many people complain.  
"Why don't you go take it up with someone who cares?" Ranma usually answered.  
Ranma didn't really care how many guys he angered because of that. He recruited members that he saw fit for the school. The women there had the sneaking feeling that men were starting to join the school because word had spread about the mostly-female enrollment, but they easily banished those thoughts when those new male members in the class seemed to show genuine interest in the art and wasn't there to hit on them.  
It was all thanks to Ranma. Women found it very easy and enjoyable learning at that school, the mostly-female environment one of the main reasons. With every passing day, they would find themselves with usually one new member in their ranks.  
Of course, none of the girls realized that the men that wanted to be there to ogle them were put in an all-male class that was taught later in the day. Usually, those guys would take a few classes before finally calling it quits and never coming back.  
No one in the school really cared, Ranma having gotten the money for enrollment.  
"Hey, if the guy can afford it, let him," Ranma once stated, "Since I know he's not here to learn, I might as well make him learn from a costly mistake and benefit from it. Just because some of them've got the money doesn't mean anything from my point of view,"  
"But how can you tell if they're there to learn or there to socialize?" Akane once asked.  
Ranma said, "I just do,"  
He was observant enough that he could tell who was interested in martial arts just on the way they stood. Tiny nuances that basically no one could detect, Ranma could see it without fail.  
This continued on for several days until enrollment tapered off, word having spread that only new potential male recruits truly interested in martial arts would be able to enjoy enrollment. Women continued to join at a steady rate, and eventually, Ranma had been forced to split up the class to compensate. A second class was started that would take place in the middle of the day, taught by Genma or Soun. Many of the women that went to the class didn't mind, most of them housewives and in need of something to pass their time. In a sense, Genma and Soun taught mostly housewives and stay-at-home females while Ranma usually taught the rest, most of them that work that can only take lessons after they were done with work.

After about good week of going to school, coming home and teaching class, Ranma could be seen wandering the halls restlessly at night, sometimes staying up late and watching some television in the dining area.  
Akane and the others had noticed this. One night, while Kasumi had gone to the kitchen to get a late night drink of water and had decided to inquire as to Ranma's restlessness.  
"Having trouble sleeping?" she asked Ranma's back as he watched television.  
Ranma turned around to face Kasumi, "Hey. Nah, not quite. I have a funny feeling someone might show up sooner or later,"  
"Oh, I figured you were having trouble sleeping," Kasumi said sweetly, "Are you hungry? Would you like me to make you something to eat?"  
He gave her a warm smile. At that moment in time, Kasumi offering to make something for Ranma to eat made him realize that he was probably never going to ever find a woman sweeter than Kasumi ever. It made him sad that he never realized just how special a girl Kasumi was.  
"Well? Would you like me to make you something?" Kasumi asked warmly.  
"Nah, I'm fine," he answered, "Thanks anyway,"  
He found himself staring at her but he didn't really care. He had nothing to be embarrassed about. Of course, Kasumi noticed this and continued to smile at him.  
"You mentioned you've always liked medicine and wanted to work in the field of medicine," Ranma said, "Of course, you said that you had to stop pursuing that to manage the household. Would you ever like to go give it a try again, pursuing medicine?" Kasumi seemed a bit confused at the question.  
"We can hire a maid and a cook," Ranma said, "We can have 'em take care of the house,"  
"Oh my, you don't like how I manage the house?" Kasumi seemed saddened.  
Ranma quickly said, "No, not at all. You kick ass with chores and such,"  
Kasumi giggled, her laugh mousy and soft.  
"Um, sorry, I should watch my how I word things," Ranma scratched his head in embarrassment, "Um, you're great with managing the house. It's just that I figure if someone else was managing the house, you'd be free to pursue medicine,"  
Kasumi smiled at Ranma sweetly and walked up to him, taking a place sitting down right by him, "That's so sweet of you, Ranma,"  
"So, you okay with it?" he asked.  
"I'm flattered by the suggestion, but there is no need," Kasumi answered, "I'm perfectly content with what I do. I enjoy managing the household,"  
"You'd rather manage the household over pursuing medicine, something you said you liked?" he asked, confused.  
Kasumi nodded, "Yes,"  
Ranma scratched his head, "Um, okay,"  
"I like medicine and such, but I enjoy managing the household much more," Kasumi said without hesitation, "It's something I believe I'm good at because I enjoy it. And because I enjoy it, I'm good at it,"  
"Makes sense," Ranma said, "Kasumi, I'm sure you're going to make the person you marry very happy,"  
Kasumi blushed, "Ranma, you're embarrassing me,"  
Ranma chuckled, "Sorry, but I'm speaking the truth,"  
"You mentioned you had a funny feeling someone was going to show up," Kasumi asked, changing the subject, "Who might that be?"  
"A guy named Ryoga," Ranma answered.  
"Ryoga?" Kasumi asked, "Who's that?"  
"An old acquaintance," he answered. He recalled his past and how Ryoga would be showing up sometime at night to attack him while he was sleeping. During the night, Ryoga snuck into Ranma's room and attacked him. Because of the commotion, Genma knocked the both of them out of the room and out into the rain. Ranma recalled that on that night, he had found out that Ryoga had been cursed.  
"Rain," Ranma said, "It had been raining that night,"  
He glanced toward of the window outside where it was a nice clear night out. It had been raining out last night but Ryoga never showed up.  
"What night?" she asked, "Oh, you mean last night? Yes, it had been raining out, pretty badly I might add,"  
He asked, "Do you know when the next time it's gonna rain?"  
Kasumi recalled the weather report she saw earlier in the day, "Well, the weather channel said that it isn't going to rain until next week,"  
"So, Ryoga's not going to be showing up," Ranma said, "This world's timeline is starting to veer further from the timeline it's supposed to go down,"  
"Timeline?" Kasumi asked, "Are you okay? Akane and I have noticed you have a tendency of talking to yourself. You might have this condition called-"  
"Schizophrenia?" Ranma smirked, "Yeah, I know. That's what the voices in my head tell me I have,"  
Kasumi giggled as Ranma chuckled.  
"I'm fine," Ranma said, "I don't have multiple personalities,"  
"That's good to hear," Kasumi smiled.  
Ranma said, "Well, I'm gonna go watch some television and then hit the sack,"  
"All right," Kasumi got up, "I hope the person you're looking for shows up,"  
"Um, yeah, hopefully," Kasumi headed for the door, "Good night,"  
"Thanks for talking to me," he said truthfully. He always liked talking to Kasumi. There was a sweetness to her voice that made Ranma realize he could listen to it endlessly without tire. Ranma watched Kasumi leave the room.  
He smiled sadly to himself.  
"Sometimes, I wonder how happy my life would've turned out had I gotten engaged to you instead,"

"Hey, Kano," Ranma greeted a woman.  
An attractive woman in her late-twenties turned around and was pleasantly surprised to see Ranma.  
"Sensei, what brings you out on such a nice day?" the woman named Kano smiled warmly.  
"Please, call me Ranma," Ranma said, "We're not in the dojo, afterall,"  
It was afternoon and Ranma had been wandering around town and had spotted a student of his doing some grocery shopping. He approached her and indulged in some quick banter before they parted ways. Akane had to do something after school so he decided to take his time wandering around town before he was expected home to teach class.  
"Damn, what should I do for the next hour or so?" Ranma scratched his head.  
He couldn't recall what he was supposed to be doing or what the next chain of events he would be facing. "Damn, isn't Ryoga supposed to be showing up like the good plot device that he is?" Ranma asked himself, scratching his head, "The fact that I'm not cursed completely changes this world's timeline. However, even if that's supposed to be the case, things are supposed to happen in a similar fashion. I just can't remember what happens next. Isn't Shampoo supposed to be showing up soon? Does she show up before or after that ice skater, what's his name, Mikado Senzenin? When does Ukyo show up? What about Kodachi? Argh, so many things happened to me in my past that I can't remember what happens after what. All I know is that whenever Kodachi show up, I'll make sure to make myself scarce. I remember she's a bit wacky and the last thing I need is for her to come chasing after me,"  
Ranma sighed. His memory wasn't what it was used to. He couldn't remember in detail what happened to him when he was really sixteen. But then again, considering he was, what, a hundred, that could help explain quite a bit on why he couldn't remember all that much.  
As he was walking past a wall surrounding and an open lot, he heard voices.  
"Pardon me, but you are from Furinkan High School, are you not?" Ranma heard someone say, "Please, no need to rush on my account. If I'm not mistaken, we'll be having our match in one week,"  
He hopped up onto the top of the wall, curious as to what was going on.  
Standing in the middle of the lot was a young girl with dark hair clad in a dark school uniform. She was standing between three individuals that had their faces wrapped up in bandages.  
Ranma regarded the young girl standing defiantly in the middle of the three individuals, "Man, that girl sure looks familiar,"  
"No more talk!" one bandaged individual shouted, "We've got you at last! We're finishing you off here and now!"  
"Prepare to die!" another individual said.  
After a moment, Ranma's eyes widened in recognition.  
"Oh my god! Kodachi Kuno!" Ranma said in surprise and happy recognition. The girl, hearing someone call out there name, turned toward the voice. Her gaze instantly came to rest on the gorgeous young man standing on the top of a nearby wall.  
A blush crossed her cheeks as she realized she had just laid eyes and the most beautiful boy. Her heart started racing as she found Ranma's blue eyes spellbinding.  
"Lookout!" Ranma shouted, realizing Kodachi was somehow being distracted, that he shouldn't had called out her name at a key point in time.  
Instincts took place as he leapt off the wall and dashed across the open lot up to where Kodachi was. He grabbed her up in her arms, the young girl yelping in surprise, a blush becoming even more evident in her cheeks in doing so, just as two thrown clubs narrowly missed hitting her.  
Ranma landed a safe distance away, Kodachi still in his arms.  
"Hey, why're you three attacking her?" Ranma asked, not really knowing what had happened but knowing he had to do something, "Dontcha know that that's not fair, three against one?"  
"R-Ranma?" one individual said.  
"Huh?" Ranma asked, wondering how one bandaged individual knows his name.  
"You're helping the enemy!" another individual said.  
"What's going on here?" Ranma asked the three individuals, gently putting Kodachi down on her feet.  
Kodachi's sight hadn't moved from his face since. She continued to stare up longingly at him, as if he was a tall drink of water to her eye's dying thirst.  
One individual pulled off the bandages to reveal the face of a girl with short hair and several bandages on her face.  
"It's me, Kumi," the girl said.  
The other two individuals removed their bandages, both revealing the faces of two girls he recognized from the classroom.  
"Hey, I know you three," Ranma recognized the girl, "You're in my class,"  
"Why are you helping her, Ranma?" the girl named Kumi said, "She's the enemy,"  
"Ranma? Oh, what a wonderful name," Kodachi said, a deep blush still on her cheeks, "It is the most wonderful name I have ever heard, a perfect name for someone as wonderful as yourself,"  
Ranma took a step back, "Whoa, hold up. Back the truck up,"  
"I am Kodachi Kuno," Kodachi said, "Oh how long I've waited for someone like you to come into my dreary life. I'd given up hope of finding a man to love, but to think that such a wonderful encounter was awaiting me tells me that it is fate that we were meat to be,"  
"Huh?" Ranma asked, completely dumbfounded. He had no real idea what was going on.  
Ranma snapped his fingers, "Oh yeah. What an idiot I am. I have forgotten about the past and how my first encounter with her was when I was in my cursed form,"  
He looked at Kodachi as she looked at him with love-struck eyes. He then looked at the three girls that he recognized from his class. After a moment, he realized something, that because he was in his male form, it had dramatically altered the course of events that was supposed to have occurred that day. He had also accidentally done the one thing to Kodachi he wanted to avoid, and that was to give her a reason to chase after him like when he was young.  
The blood drained from Ranma's face, "Oh shit,"  
"Oh, how I've waited for this day, to meet someone like you," Kodachi said happily.  
After a moment, Ranma realized he wasn't the young boy he used to be. He said, "Sorry, but I have a fiancee,"  
"What?" Kodachi's eyes widened in shock.  
"Yep, I have a fiancee," Ranma lied.  
"You lie," Kodachi said.  
"Are you calling me a liar?" Ranma asked.  
Kodachi took a step back nervously, "No. I didn't mean it like that,"  
"Sorry, but I'm spoken for," Ranma answered, "Best you go find someone else to go after,"  
Ranma smirked. He wondered how funny it would be if Ryoga was around. Maybe Ranma could somehow find away to project Kodachi's instant infatuation with him onto Ryoga. That would be a very amusing turn of events.  
"I refuse to accept it," Kodachi said vehemently, "Who is this girl you speak of that seduced you? I will take care of her,"  
Ranma pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling like he was getting a headache. He quickly tried to think of something to say. If he mentioned that he was engaged to Akane, he knew what would happen. Kodachi would instantly harbor animosity toward Akane and try and attack her from then on. He needed to give her another name.  
After a moment, he came up with an idea.  
"Her name's...Kiima," Ranma grinned, "She is the caretaker of a dude named Saffron,"  
"Kiima, huh?" Kodachi said, her voice acidic toward this woman she had never met, "Where can I find this woman?"  
"Phoenix Mountain," Ranma answered. He grinned, "Um, I have been engaged to her against my will. The only way to null the engagement is if she is defeated in hand-to-hand combat while I'm there watching,"  
Kodachi jumped up and landed on a nearby wall, "I shall deal with this Kiima person you speak of. Just you wait, my love, I'll have you freed from the clutches of this Kiima wench,"  
She laughed a laugh that gave Ranma the chills before she jumped away, leaving the area.  
Ranma stared at the wall Kodachi had been standing on.  
"Man, I can't believe she believed me," Ranma smirked.  
He then shrugged. He didn't really care if he mentioned the name of a woman that would not be showing up here for quite a while. There was no way Kodachi was going to find her so he was safe. Ranma laughed. He felt like he was so smart, having realized that only someone liked Kodachi would believe a tall-tale like that. He felt the need to pat himself on the back.  
"Um, Ranma," came a voice.  
Ranma turned around to face the three girls that used to have bandages covering their faces. He instantly realized he had forgotten about them. "I can't believe you, Ranma," one girl said, "You're toying with women's hearts. You got engaged to Akane when you've been engaged to this girl named Kiima all along, whoever she is,"  
Ranma pinched the bridge of his nose.  
"You've gotta be kidding me. Don't tell me you believed what I said,"

Ranma and the three girls walked toward the house together. All three girls looked a bit nervous, unaccustomed to walking with someone like Ranma. In a sense, most of the girls were nervous around him since most girls had a crush on him. Afterall, him being a sensei meant he was a very strong fighter and capable protector, an attractive trait women found in men.  
After finding out that Ranma had lied to Kodachi and said that he was engaged to someone else to basically protect Akane from getting attacked, the girls saw Ranma in a different lightly, regretting having doubted Ranma's character. They couldn't help but feel jealous of Akane, that she was an extremely lucky girl to have someone like Ranma as her fiancee. Sure, she was popular in school and such and something like her finding a person like Ranma wouldn't be all that surprising, but still, many girls felt jealous of her.  
"So, Kodachi ambushed all you girls and all the girls of the rhythm gymnastic team?" Ranma smirked, "And you need to ask Akane for help for the upcoming competition?"  
One girl nodded, "Um, yeah. We're hoping she'll be up to it,"  
Ranma smiled, "I'm sure she'll be up to it,"  
"You really think so?" a girl asked.  
Ranma smirked, "Of course, I don't remember if she's any good at rhythmic gymnastic, but if she isn't, it's not all that much of a problem. I can always teach her,"  
"You know rhythmic gymnastic?" one girl asked curious, wondering why such a manly man like Ranma would know something like that.  
Ranma said, "No, I don't know it but I know the use of weapons. Since what you're asking Akane to do centers around the use of weapons, I can show her how to use weapons as well,"  
"But the weapons aren't like that of swords and spears and such," a girl commented.  
"I know," Ranma nodded, "The weapons you use are just variations of the kinds I'm used to. It won't be all that hard. It'll be like training her how to use a variation of traditional weapons. That's all,"  
All three girls blushed. Ranma seemed so cool to them.  
"Hey, you wouldn't have a brother, would you?" one girl asked nervously.  
Ranma laughed, "Sorry, I'm an only child,"  
The group made their way to Ranma's place where Ranma let them in.  
"I'll go get Akane," Ranma said, "I need to go take a shower and get ready to teach class,"  
As the girls waited downstairs in the backyard while Ranma went and got Akane upstairs.  
Akane had been doing homework when there was a knock on her door.  
"Come in," Akane looked up from her textbook.  
Ranma opened the door and entered the room, "Hey, Akane,"  
"Oh, hey, Ranma," Akane said, "What's up?"  
"There are girls here to see you," Ranma told her, "They're from our class,"  
"Really? What for?" Akane asked.  
"Just asked them," Ranma said, looking around in the room, "It has something to do with them asking you to help them out with an upcoming competition they have coming up not too long from now,"  
"Me? Why me?" Akane asked. Ranma shrugged, "Ask 'em yourself. I don't remember the details. Anyway, I'm gonna go take a shower. Gotta get ready to teach class,"  
"Ranma," Akane called out.  
"What?" Ranma turned around to face her.  
"Get the hell out of my panty drawer!" Akane shouted at him.  
Ranma looked down and realized he was standing in front of an open draw that contained Ranma's panties. He hadn't been paying particular attention to what he had been doing as he was talking to Akane. It seemed like his body moved on its own accord and found itself opening up Akane's panty drawers.  
"You're no fun, Akane,"

After Ranma had taught class, he hung around the dojo to teach Akane some rhythmic gymnastics as Genma and Soun taught nightly martial arts to those few remaining guys too stubborn to just give up and realize that they were not their to socialize with the women as they had expected.  
Ranma was laying on his side on the dojo floor mat, watching as Akane constantly messed up her use of gymnastic weaponry, displaying very little signs of grace or competent knowledge of rhythmic gymnastic.  
"I could've sworn Akane wasn't that good initially," Ranma said to himself as he watched her. He noticed that Akane did show promise, that she could pick up rhythmic gymnastics in due time.  
He assumed it probably had something to do with Akane observing him while he taught classes. Akane had a tendency of watching Ranma teaching classes, never taking part in the class, a bit self-conscious of herself being the youngest person, besides Ranma, in the class. It seemed like she was picking up on what he taught just by watching him.  
"I'm a klutz! I'm a klutz! I'm a klutz!" Akane repeated several times, dropping her baton-like weapons for the tenth time, "I never should've agreed to help,"  
Ranma grinned. He found it amusing at how Akane seemed unbothered of showing her vulnerabilities in front of him. It meant that she was comfortable enough around Ranma that she had no qualms about showing the vulnerable side of herself to him.  
Ranma laughed, "C'mon, you're not that bad at it. You just need some practice,"  
"There's only a week between now and the competition," Akane said sadly, "I'm not used to using weapons,"  
Of course, the Akane I remember from my childhood handled the mallet quite well, thought with a smirk. And speaking of which, I wonder if Akane will ever pull out weapons on me. She's a lot more mellow than the one I remember back then. Sure, she can get angry as easily as I remembered then, but she doesn't seem to fly off the deep handle like she usually does.  
Ranma smiled, "Don't worry, I'll teach you,"  
"Y-you will?" Akane asked.  
Ranma nodded, "Sure. You've got potential. A week's more than enough to get you ready for competition,"  
Akane smirked, "How come you know something like rhythmic gymnastics, a predominantly girl's sport?"  
Ranma said, "I don't know crap about rhythmic gymnastics. But I do know weapons. It's more or less the same thing except there are variations to the weapons being used,"  
"Oh, I guess you have a point," Akane stated.  
Ranma scratched his head, trying to recall something. I don't remember what really happened, he thought. I do remember helping her out but I don't remember why she didn't go up against Kodachi in the competition and I ended up going up against her in my cursed form.  
He glanced around the dojo toward all the rhythmic gymnastic weapons lying about at random locations, scratching his head. He wished his memory was better, that he could easily recall things that had happened to him many many decades ago with clarity as if it had happened yesterday.  
When Ranma spotted a ball near one corner of the room, his face lit up.  
Now I remember, he thought. She accidentally stepped on that ball and twisted her ankle. That's why I had to take over for her in the competition. Now that I know what had caused it, I can easily prevent it.  
Akane watched as Ranma walked over to the ball and picked it up.  
"Do me a favor and put this ball somewhere safe," Ranma said, throwing the ball up and down in his hand, "It's a dangerous object and I'm pretty sure you'll end up tripping on it and twisting your ankle,"  
Akane said, "C'mon, what do you take me for? I'm not that much of a klutz that something like that would happen,"  
Ranma laughed, "Oh, believe me, you are,"  
"What did you say?" Akane got angry, "Are you calling me a klutz?"  
"Oh, c'mon," Ranma said, "Why're y'getting angry at me all of a sudden? You were just saying that you were a klutz yourself a minute ago,"  
"It's different when I say it and when you say it," she glared at him.  
Ranma pinched the bridge of his nose, "You've gotta be kidding me,"  
"I don't think you're a klutz," came a voice.  
"Ah, there you are, Ryoga, like the good plot device that you are," Ranma chuckled when he saw Ryoga standing by the dojo entrance.  
Ryoga looked at Ranma curiously, wondering what Ranma meant by that.  
"Ryoga," Akane said, "Long time no see,"  
It seemed like she harbored no hard feelings toward Ryoga for what had happened a couple of weeks ago with Ryoga accidentally breaking her cell phone. She had no real idea who he was except that he and Ranma were an acquaintance. The way she thought about it, if Ryoga knew Ranma, she should at least make an effort to get to know Ryoga.  
"Um, h-hello, Akane," Ryoga blushed when he realized she was looking directly at him. He simply nervously looked down at the ground.  
"Ryoga, just the guy I was hoping to see," Ranma smirked.  
"I am?" Ryoga asked.  
Ranma turned toward Akane, "Ryoga's probably a better choice for teaching you rhythmic gymnastics, better than I am. You should have him teach you,"  
"I thought you were going to teach me," Akane said, a bit disappointed.  
Ranma shrugged, "Yeah, but Ryoga's a better choice,"  
"Um, okay," she said, believing Ranma knew what he was talking about.  
Ranma smiled at Ryoga, "How about it? You think you can help Akane out?"  
"Um, yeah, I can," Ryoga said nervously, "I can show you how to use these weapons,"  
He glanced around and saw a ribbon on the ground.  
"For instance, the ribbon," Ryoga said, smirking as he picked it up.  
Ranma watched curious as to what Ryoga was up to. When Ryoga started attacking him with the ribbon, Ranma instinctively dodged all the incoming attacks. It wasn't until after he was dodging all those attacks did he recall that Ryoga had done something similar then, as a way of displaying to Akane his knowledge of the weaponry as well as use it as a chance at displaying to Ranma his animosity toward him.  
"You jerk!" Ranma said. Because he had been holding the ball he had picked up before, he instinctively threw it at Ryoga, hitting him in the face and knocking him unconscious. Unfortunately, the ball bounced off of Ryoga's face and ended up hitting Akane right in the ankle, causing her to fall forward down to the floor.  
Ranma looked at Akane and saw her holding her ankle in pain. He didn't have to make a close inspection to know that Akane's ankle had been hurt in the fall and that she was now incapable of taking part in the competition she had been asked to do a few hours earlier.  
He looked up toward the sky, as if speaking up toward God herself, throwing his arms out as if in defeat.  
"Oh, come on!" Ranma wrapped up Akane's ankle as she sat in the middle of the dojo.  
Everyone else was there, concerned for Akane.  
"I'm fine," Akane said, self-conscious of everyone looking down at her with sympathy.  
Soun was crying tears of sadness, "My little girl got hurt,"  
"Don't worry," Ranma said, finished wrapping Akane's ankle, "She'll be fine. It's just a light sprain. All she has to do is stay off her ankle for a week and she'll be fine,"  
"But what about the competition?" Akane asked, "There's no way I'll be able to take part in the competition that I agreed to do,"  
Ranma said, "Outta the question. Your ankle'll be fine about a day before the competition, but that doesn't give you enough time to prepare. There's no way you can prepare now, not with your ankle being in this condition,"  
"What happened here?" Nabiki asked curiously.  
Ranma jerked a thumb over toward Ryoga, "Ryoga and I were, um, sparring and Akane accidentally got hurt when I threw a ball at him and it bounced off him and hit her in the ankle. It was purely accidental,"  
"It's okay," Akane said, "I know it was an accident,"  
Ranma regarded Akane for a moment, surprised at how understanding she was. The Akane that he knew would've been yelling at him, telling him that it was all his fault for not getting along with Ryoga and them fighting and that resulting in her getting hurt.  
"Oh my, what are you going to do about school?" Kasumi asked, worried.  
"Don't worry, I'll carry you," Ranma suggested, "It's my fault this happened so I'll take responsibility,"  
Akane blushed, "I don't think so. I don't need you carrying me to and from school like an invalid,"  
"So what do you suggest?" Nabiki smirked, "What do you have against it? I figure you wouldn't mind at all, being carried by Ranma,"  
Akane blushed an even deeper shade of red, "Nabiki!"  
Nabiki snickered.  
"How about we use some crutches?" Kasumi asked, "One of us can go to Dr. Tofu's clinic and ask to borrow a pair of a week. I'm sure he wouldn't mind,"  
"Especially if you're the one asking," Nabiki snickered.  
"What do you mean?" Kasumi asked, oblivious.  
"Nevermind, sis," Nabiki smiled.  
Ranma got up to his feet, "I'll go get 'em. She only needs to use it for a day or so so it won't be all that bad. Her ankles a bit tender right now so it's going to hurt to walk. But after a few days, she'll be able to walk,"  
"Meaning I'll be able to compete," Akane said.  
"I said your ankle'll be good enough for you to be able to walk," Ranma smirked, "That doesn't mean your ankle'll be good enough to for strenuous activities,"  
"So what are we going to do about the competition?" Akane asked, "I don't want to disappoint them,"  
Ranma said, "I have no idea. However, don't worry, I'll think of something,"  
Akane regarded Ranma for a moment. She found herself feeling rather comforted at the statement.

Ranma carried a set of crutches in his hands, on his way back from Dr. Tofu's clinic.  
"Man, what am I gonna do about the competition?" Ranma scratched the back of his head, "It's in about a week and there's no one to take Akane's place. I'm no longer cursed so that's outta the question,"  
He contemplated asking Akane to just forfeit the match but knew she would never do that. He knew Akane well enough hat she would never allow for something like that to happen. As he walked along, he caught sight of a figure jumping from rooftop to rooftop, heading in the general direction of the Tendo home. This piqued his interest because he wondered if this was a new person that was showing up as expected. He didn't recognized the figure, the figure clad in a cloak.  
"Did someone else show up in my life during the time we were preparing for the rhythmic gymnastic competition?" he asked himself, jumping up and landing on a nearby roof, intent of following the figure.  
He followed a closely behind, not worried about being caught chasing. This was because he was skilled in stealth that, if he didn't want to be detected, he was not going to be detected.  
After a short chase, Ranma stopped when he saw the figure come to a stop in front of the front gate of the Tendo home. Ranma watched as the figure threw off the cloak to reveal a familiar looking individual.  
It was none other than Kodachi.  
"Akane Tendo, I have come to cripple you," Kodachi said, a large mallet in her hand.  
Ranma's memory kicked in as he recalled Kodachi having shown up at the house when he was young. She had been there to ambush Akane that night, having found out who her new rival would be for the rhythmic gymnastic competition. It was that night that she had bumped into Ranma's male form and had found herself falling for him.  
He smirked. Since it was obvious that she was there to ambush Akane in hopes of knocking her out of the competition before the day of the competition, he needed to do something about it.  
Ranma snuck out from the bushes he was hiding behind and approached Kodachi as she laughed to herself.  
"Hey," Ranma said.  
Kodachi whirled around, yelping in surprise, startled. She accidentally swung her mallet toward Ranma's head, Ranma leaning back slightly as it missed him by inches.  
"Y-you!" Kodachi's eyes widened in recognition.  
Ranma smirked as he regarded Kodachi, "What are you doing here?"  
Kodachi quickly hid the mallet behind her back. Of course, because of its size, it was obvious that her meager attempts at concealing it was nothing but failure.  
"Um, er," Kodachi stammered.  
"Ranma. Ranma Saotome," Ranma realized she didn't know her name.  
"Ranma, such a sweet name," Kodachi said happily.  
Ranma said, "Anyway, as I was saying, what are you doing here?"  
"Um, I was about to ask you the same thing," Kodachi said.  
"I was just out for a stroll when I saw ya," Ranma answered.  
"Y-you were?" Kodachi's eyes widened in surprise, realizing that the planets must have been aligned at that particular point in time for their encounter to have occurred.  
"You wouldn't happen to be here to ambush Akane, would you?" Ranma smirked, "I heard that this is Akane Tendo house,"  
"Me? W-what ever made you think that?" Kodachi laughed nervously, "Um, I was merely out for a stroll,"  
Ranma said, "That's good to hear. Afterall, I detest violence. You look like a sweet girl that would never do something like that, right?"  
"Um, of course," Kodachi said, "I detest violence, too. My, it seems like we have so much in common,"  
Ranma smiled, "Say, what are you doing next week?"  
"Next week?" Kodachi asked, "I have a rhythmic gymnastic competition I must take part in. Um, it has no form of violence. Afterall, I detest violence much like yourself. Why? What do you ask?"  
Ranma said, "Well, I have some free time during the day. If you want, we can hang out,"  
"W-we can?" Kodachi blushed a deep shade of red. It was as if her dreams were coming true. Ranma Saotome, the most wonderful man she had ever laid eyes on, had just asked her out.  
Ranma said, "Oh, but I guess we can't. Afterall, you have some kind of competition,"  
"That is no problem," Kodachi said, "I will gladly forfeit my match so that we may go on a...on a...on a date,"  
She turned her gaze away, flushed. Embarrassed at how silly she looked. She had no experience talking to boys so she had no real idea how to really act in front of them or talk to them.  
Ranma said, "Okay. How about at nine 'o clock next week? We can meet in front of the fountain in the middle of Nerima square?"  
"That sounds splendid," Kodachi said, already wondering what kind of outfit she would be wearing on that day.  
Ranma said, "Well, it was nice meeting you. I'm glad we bumped into each other,"  
"L-likewise," Kodachi stammered, turning around and running off, "Um, I look forward to seeing you next week,"  
Ranma watched as Kodachi disappeared around a corner.  
He sighed. He couldn't help but feel bad about what he had done. He had just used Kodachi's crush on him as a way of causing her to forfeit the match.  
Ranma realized something that made him no longer feel bad for what he had done or what he was about to do.  
"Screw that. Why the hell should I feel bad? Kodachi was here to ambush Akane to cause her to forfeit even before the competition. What goes around, comes around,"

A week had passed by without incident and Akane knew she was not ready for the rhythmic gymnastic competition taking place at St. Bacchus School for girls. Akane nervously paced back and forth in her dressing room. Her ankle had healed and she had no problems in terms of walking. Anything more strenuous made her ankle throb.  
Ranma smirked at her, "Man, that leotard on you don't leave much to the imagination,"  
"Ranma!" Akane blushed.  
"I'm telling you the truth," Ranma said, "I can easily tell that you're not wearing a bra underneath that leotard and that it's a bit chilly in this room, if y'know what I mean,"  
"Ranma, you pervert!" Akane blushed a deep shade of red, bringing her hands up to cover her chest area. She knew Ranma liked teasing her. She didn't really mind from time to time so long as he only teased her in moderation, but comments like that made her very self-conscious of herself. It also didn't help that Ranma was more prone to saying such comments like that than anything else.  
Ranma laughed, "C'mon, lighten up,"  
"And just how do you expect me to lighten up?" Akane asked, "I'm about to take part in a competition I'm completely unprepared for,"  
"You'll be fine," Ranma said, "I have confidence in you,"  
Akane nervously said, "At least someone in here has confidence in me,"  
"What, you're not confident about your abilities?" Ranma smirked.  
"I can't believe you're asking me that question," Akane said, "My ankle finally healed up well enough so that I can walk normally. I have no experience with using any of the weapons that will be used for this competition,"  
Ranma said, "Don't worry. If worse comes to worst, and you're in over your head, I'll jump and disrupt the competition,"  
"Y-you would?" Akane asked.  
Ranma nodded, "Yeah, you'll get disqualified, but who cares? It's just a competition. It doesn't really matter if you win or lose,"  
Akane said, "It does to me. I don't want to forfeit a match. What would you do if you were in my situation?"  
"I dunno," Ranma shrugged. He didn't bother to tell her that he had been in her situation before when he used to be cursed. Of course, they were two different people. Akane wasn't a natural martial artist like Ranma was so there was no way she could pick up rhythmic gymnastics as quickly as Ranma had.  
He walked over to the nearby window and looked out, "Look, there's nothing much to worry about. Just try your best,"  
Akane said nothing,"  
Ranma shrugged, "Even though you're not ready for this competition, at least go out and try your best. I'm gonna be in your corner anyway so I'll be sure to throw in the towel when I see that you're in trouble. You should have more confidence in yourself and your abilities. Except for this week, you jog every morning. Also, I know you watch me teaching classes every day. Those two things alone, will help you out,"  
"You think so?" Akane asked, feeling that if Ranma was confident in her, so should she.  
Ranma said, "Yeah. Besides, who knows, for all we know, Kodachi may forfeit the match,"  
Still looking out the window, he noticed droplets of rain on the window pane.  
"Hey, it looks like it's going to rain," he stated.  
"So? What about it?" Akane asked, "The competition's indoor so there's nothing to worry about,"  
Ranma thought about it for a moment. Perhaps he should be surprised that it was going to rain. He had never paid attention to what the weather was like when he was young and had to take part in the competition because it had been indoors.  
"Something the matter?" Akane asked, noticing Ranma's lips becoming a thin line.  
"Um, nothing," he said. He looked at the clock that hung on the wall and noticed that it was just about nine.  
There came a knock on the door.  
"C'min," Akane said.  
The door opened to reveal a young girl, "The match is about to start. It's time to go,"  
Akane cast Ranma a nervous glance. Ranma gave her a warm smile and placed a hand on her shoulder. The nervousness in Akane seemed to just disappear from Akane's body when he touched her.  
"Um, is Kodachi in?" Ranma asked the girl.  
The girl said, "Actually, no. We're not too sure where she is. She was supposed to have been here over an hour ago,"  
Akane said, "What does that mean?"  
"If she doesn't show up in the next five minutes, she'll be forfeiting her match," the girl answered.  
Akane's eyes widened in surprise, "Did you hear that? There's a chance I might not be fighting. It might be a forfeit!"  
Ranma glanced toward the window where he could see heavy rain now coming down. An image of Kodachi standing in front of the fountain in the middle of Nerima square in the pouring rain entered his thoughts.  
He headed for the door, "Akane, I've got to go. I'll be back soon,"  
"What? Where?" Akane became nervous again, "The match's about to start!"  
"There's someone I gotta meet,"  
Ranma muttered under his breath as he came home later that day.  
"Man, if I never see that woman again, it'll be too soon," he said. He had had one heck of a day spending it with Kodachi. The day had turned out to be nothing more than Kodachi showing off her new beau. He, regretful for having made her wait out in the rain, had told himself that he would hang out with her, that he owed her that much.  
However, spending a bit of time with her made him realize he and Kodachi had nothing in common, that he definitely didn't enjoy spending time with her. Of course, because of Kodachi's sacrifice, her forfeiting her match with Akane for a chance to spend some time with Ranma, Ranma hung out with her for most of the day. The time he spent with her made him realize that there were a few screws loose with Kodachi, that she acted as if the two of them were truly engaged. Several times he told her that he was not and all those times she seemed to have ignored that comment, as if she had selective hearing, hearing only the things she wanted to hear.  
"Ranma, where have you been?" Akane asked when she bumped into Ranma while he was entering the house.  
"Having a bad time," Ranma muttered, "Let's just leave it as that. I don't wanna talk about it,"  
Akane said nothing. She had been curious all day as to where Ranma had been but realized that she should not press the issue.  
"So, how went the match?" Ranma smirked, already knowing the answer.  
"She never showed up," Akane smiled, "I won on a forfeit,"  
"That's good to hear," Ranma smiled.  
Akane seemed a bit sad.  
Ranma smirked, "Lemme guess. You kinda would've liked to've fought her and won fair and square on your own?"  
Akane nodded.  
Ranma shrugged, "Oh well. A win's a win,"  
"You have any idea what happened to my opponent?" Akane asked.  
"Nope," Ranma lied, believing it was better that way. He placed a hand on one of Akane's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze, "Congratulations on the win. I'm proud of ya,"  
"Um, thank you, Ranma," Akane blushed, "I-I never would've done it had you told me to try my best. I think my best would've been just showing up for the match and that was it. I guess it turned out that that was good enough,"  
Ranma smiled.  
"Still, I would've like to have beaten her fair and square," Akane stated.  
"Well, if you want, I'll train you once your ankle heals," Ranma smiled, "That way, you can have a match against her for real,"  
"Really? You'll train me?" Akane seemed very happy to hear that.  
"Sure," Ranma nodded.  
"Thanks,"

new stuff 11/3

The next day, Akane entered the dining area and caught sight of Ranma as he was watching some television.  
"Ranma, where did you go this morning?" Akane asked. "No where in particular," Ranma answered.  
Ranma had skipped school that day. As he and Akane were walking along, something suddenly dawned on Ranma and he excused himself, telling Akane to go on ahead to school, that he was going to skip school for the day. The whole day of school, Akane had been secretly wondering if Ranma had been talking to hundreds of girls for his second round of promoting the dojo.  
"Were you out trying to find more female recruits?" Akane asked curiously, "Because if you were, there's no more room in the class you're teaching. All new members will have to take a different class during a different time of day,"  
Ranma shook his head, "Nah. I was just paying someone a visit,"  
"Who?" Akane asked.  
"Don't worry about it," Ranma said.  
Akane felt a bit hurt, "Ranma, you really don't like telling me anything, do you? You always seem to keep secrets,"  
"He's someone I know. He's a scientist that specializes in artificial intelligence and robotics," Ranma said, "And you're right. It's true. I do keep a lot of secrets from you,"  
Akane was surprised at the comment. She figured Ranma was going to do something like deny it. Him saying flat-out that he kept secrets from her made her all the more curious as to what kind of secrets Ranma kept. "How come you don't tell me?" Akane asked.  
"It's not worth the trouble," Ranma answered, still watching the television, flipping through channels.  
Akane found herself getting angry, "What do you mean by that?"  
Ranma turned around to face Akane, "Akane, will you just lighten up. What I do is my own business and not yours,"  
Akane was stunned at the comment. In a sense, Ranma had told her to mind her own business.  
"I don't mean to sound like a jerk, but I'm not obligated to tell anyone anything about what I do," Ranma said, "It just so happens that I tell you just about everything though. There's stuff I tell you that I don't even tell my father so I don't understand why you're getting upset at me for not telling you everything,"  
Akane said nothing.  
Ranma couldn't help but feel bad for snapping at Akane like that but it was for the best. If she really knew who he was, it would make things extremely complicated. Sure, he was secretly living a lie, but he didn't care. "I don't see why you don't tell me everything when I tell you everything about me," Akane said angrily.  
"Oh really?" Ranma smirked.  
Akane looked a bit nervous, as if Ranma knew she was lying, that she did keep a few things from him, like her crush on Dr. Tofu, a crush that was slowly disappearing but a crush nonetheless. Or her talk with Kasumi about giving her a haircut. Or about how she was having a lot of trouble with Math and secretly pretended like she didn't because she felt guilty about taking up Ranma's time and not being able to produce better results. After a moment of flipping through some channels, he came across one that piqued his interest.  
"Ah, here we go," Ranma smirked.  
Akane glanced over his shoulder toward the television screen.  
'We interrupt this regularly scheduled program to bring you breaking news: The entire Tokyo Police Station has been held hostage by a lone perpetrator. At nine this afternoon, a man wearing a ski mask entered the police station and took everyone within hostage. No one knows who this person is or what his demands are. Negotiations seems to be at a standstill. We will give you an update on the situation at hand in a half-hour. We now bring you back to your regularly scheduled program'  
Ranma burst out laughing.  
"What's so funny?" Akane asked, "That sounds serious, some guy took an entire police station hostage. How's that possible? I wonder why this happened,"  
Ranma shrugged, a smirk on his face, glad that his back was toward Akane, "Who knows? You know what I think happened?"  
"What?" Akane asked curiously.  
Ranma said, "I think there was this guy, a really handsome guy, a man among men, that was looking in the phone book for the name 'Katsuhito Stingray' so that he could visit him to prevent a thing called the 'Nerima Massacre'. Unfortunately, the address wasn't listed so that guy had to use the police station's database to find out that information and took it hostage because the police station had to observe this thing called protocol and wouldn't divulge such information. And after he got the information, he split and now no one knows that the guy is long gone, and had paid this Katsuhito Stingray guy a visit, because authorities outside the police station still think that guy is still inside holding everyone hostage. All the while, everyone inside is handcuffed to the radiators by their own handcuffs with their mouths taped shut,"  
Akane gave Ranma a confused look, "Where did that come from?"  
Ranma grinned as he shrugged, "I dunno. It's just a guess,"  
"You have one heck of an imagination, Ranma," Akane said, "Y'know that?"  
"Nevermind," Ranma said, waving a dismissive hand, getting to his feet, "I'm going to go take a shower now and get ready to teach class,"  
"Okay," Akane said.  
Once in the bathroom, Ranma smiled as he looked at himself in the mirror.  
"Well, at least now I don't hafta worry about this world going through another Nerima Massacre,"

The next several days went by uneventfully, everyone doing their usual things. No one found out who took the police station hostage and investigations came up with absolutely nothing, the perpetrator having left behind not a single piece of evidence for authorities to work with.  
Akane now started attending Ranma's classes after her ankle fully healed. Although she was already more skilled in martial arts than any of the other female students in the class, she was surprised to learn new things.  
She noticed Ranma had a tendency of teaching only self-defensive moves, him teaching very little techniques that required punching or kicking. Of course, one of the main reasons why he didn't teach it was that he usually had Genma and Soun take part in the class, to act out as the punching dummies so that everyone could grasp were the vital locations of where to strike.  
To her surprise, Ranma treated her much like all the other students. He corrected her on several occasion when he watched her perform simple techniques he had showed to the class. He gave her no special treatment, never hesitating to tell her if she was doing something wrong and correcting her.  
After class ended, Ranma went about teaching Akane on a one-on-one basis, showing her more advanced techniques. Actually, he didn't necessarily teach her any techniques. He taught her forms of training, techniques like how to balance on one leg.  
"I feel like a flamingo," Akane muttered, feeling idiotic as she balanced on one leg.  
Ranma smirked, "That's why the stance is actually called the flamingo stance,"  
"I don't understand why you're teaching me a whole new stance," Akane complained. She didn't complain that much, believing Ranma really knew what he was doing and that she should take everything as a given.  
Ranma said, "It teaches you balance. I'm strengthening your weaknesses,"  
"Are you saying I have no sense of balance?" Akane felt herself getting angry.  
"Heh, you said it, not me," Ranma grinned.  
Akane let out an annoyed breath but didn't stop trying to balance on one leg, "What else do you intend for me to do?"  
"We'll see when we get to it," Ranma smiled, "At the moment, we're just working on improving your balance. At the moment, all you need to do is get used to standing on one leg without constantly needing to hop to keep balanced. After you get used to doing it with both feet, we'll move onto having you do so with your leg extended from your body,"  
"How does that help?" Akane asked.  
"Stronger kicks," Ranma said, "If you have good balance, your kicks will be stronger. Adding weights around your ankles will make your kicks even more stronger,"  
Akane asked, "How do you know all of this?"  
"Training," Ranma answered, "I've been training for basically all of my life so I basically know what works and what don't work,"  
"Your dad taught you these things?" Akane asked, "How come I never see your dad teaching classes the kind of techniques I see you teaching, even though he was the one that taught you?"  
Ranma smirked, "Um, my old man is old fashion. He prefers traditional techniques,"  
"Oh," Akane said.  
Ranma regarded Akane as she went about balancing on one leg. As he observed her, he noticed her sense of balanced had improved quite a bit over the past few days.  
"That's good," Ranma said, "You're coming along fine,"  
"Um, thanks," Akane blushed, glad he was behind her and unable to see her blushing, "Um, what kind of techniques do you plan on teaching me?"  
Ranma said, "Not necessarily techniques, more along the lines of training. In a few days, I'll start teaching you how to fall correctly, how to know when dodge, how to minimize your movements. Stuff like that,"  
"I already know those things," Akane said, "I know how to fall and dodge,"  
Ranma smirked. He shot out a hand toward Akane's face as if to see how she would react. In a blink of an eye, she blocked the Ranma's incoming arm with one arm and extended her other arm forward in a punching motion, her fist stopping short just inches from Ranma's sternum.  
"Nice counter," Ranma smiled as Akane smiled confidently.  
She was indeed a skilled martial artist and Ranma had to give her that. "Of course, there was no need for you to block," Ranma smiled, "It would've been better had you dodged and countered instead. You're too used to blocking instead of dodging,"  
Akane said nothing. Ranma did have a point.  
"You're gonna get yourself in trouble because there are attacks where blocking is basically suicidal," Ranma stated, "What if you fight against someone like me? Do you really think you'll be able to block one of my attacks and be able to counter?"  
Akane smirked, "I don't know. How about we spar and try and find out?"  
Ranma chuckled, "You're going to always try and spar against me, aren't you? Sorry, but I'm not interested in sparring against you. Anyway, the point I'm getting at is that we need to get you used to dodging instead of blocking. If I tried something like kicking at you and you tried to block it, my kick will just break your arm. At least by dodging, you won't hafta worry about getting hurt blocking and my missing you will leave me open to an even larger window of time for a counter attack,"  
Akane said, "Well, you do have a point. I guess I should work on dodging more,"  
Ranma said, "Look, you don't hafta worry about that right now. Right now, let's just work on the absolute basics like having you strengthening up your sense of balance,"  
Akane said, "Okay, Ranma,"  
"Hey, you should me sensei like all my other students," Ranma smirked.  
Akane giggled, "Yeah, right,"  
Ranma shrugged, "Oh well, it was worth a try,"

A few days later, Ranma was watching television in the dining area one weekend afternoon when Akane approached him.  
"Are you doing anything today?" Akane asked from out of the blue.  
"The same thing we try and do every day, Pinkie, try take over the world," Ranma answered, still watching television.  
"Huh?" Akane was confused.  
Ranma pointed toward the televisions screen, "It's a saying from an American cartoon I saw the other day. Nevermind. No, I'm not doing anything tonight, why? You asking me out on a date?"  
"N-no!" Akane blushed a deep shade of red.  
"Man, you blush a lot," Ranma smirked, "Y'know that?"  
"That's because you say so many crazy things!" Akane retorted in annoyance. She didn't like Ranma having fun at her expense. Ranma went back to watching television.  
Akane cleared her throat, "Anyway, I was curious if you're interested in going to the ice rink,"  
"Ice rink?" Ranma asked, "What for? Ice skating?"  
Akane nodded. She produced a coupon from her pocket, "Yeah, ice skating. A few of my friends and I went there last week and had a blast and we're going again today. I was just wondering if you're interested. I have this coupon. There's a buy one admission get one free deal today,"  
Ranma smirked, "Why should we care? We have plenty of money. The dojo brings in plenty of money that we really don't need to worry about it,"  
"Still," Akane said, "It's a good deal,"  
"Man, what's with women and deals?" Ranma asked, "It's like they feel the need to always get something whenever there's a good deal,"  
"What did you say?" Akane started getting angry, realizing Ranma had just made a very sexist remark.  
Ranma figured he might as well paraphrase what he said, "I said, women are crazy,"  
Akane glared at him. She never made any motions to hit him though, as if that was never in her nature to begin with. Then again, it could be because she truly enjoyed Ranma's company and didn't want to do something stupid to alter their current relationship, whatever relationship that might be at the moment.  
Ranma reached out and picked up the coupon off the table and looked at it.  
"A day at the ice rink, huh?" he asked, "I guess we can go there. It's not like I'm doing anything,"  
"So you're up to going?" Akane asked, her voice hopeful.  
Ranma shrugged, "Sure,"  
Funnily enough, his memory of his past made him recall that something had happened at the ice rink that day. He couldn't quite remember what but he believed that he would remember soon enough after he got there.  
"Let's see who I bump into there," "H-hi, Ranma," one of Akane's friend blushed as she greeted Ranma.  
"Hey, Kaoru," Ranma smiled toward both of Akane's friends, "Hey, Aoi,"  
Ranma and Akane met up with two of Akane's friends as they waited for them at the front of the stadium that had the ice rink inside. The stadium was located near Nerima, in an adjoining town near Kolkhoz High School.  
Ranma and Akane had passed by that school.  
"Kolkhoz High School," Ranma scratched his head, glancing down the street, "Where have I heard that name before?" When he noticed Akane and her two friends staring at him in confusion, he quickly said, "Nevermind,"  
Together, the four of them entered the building and waited on line to get their tickets for admission.  
"Have you ever skated before?" Akane asked.  
"Not really," Ranma said, "I've skated before when I was young, but that was a long long time ago. I'm probably really rusty right now,"  
"Well, it's like riding a bike," Akane smiled, "I'm sure you'll pick it back up right away,"  
As they all waited in line, Ranma spotted two figures standing in the line ahead of them. They looked oddly familiar but Ranma couldn't quite put his finger on it on exactly where he had met them.  
"Hold on one second," Ranma said, "I'll be right back,"  
"Where are you going?" Akane asked, watching Ranma as he left the line.  
Akane and her two friends watched as Ranma walked off and stopped in front of two individuals, a young girl and a young man.  
Ranma looked down at the cute girl before him as she looked up at him curiously. The girl looked to be around Ranma's age and had long flowing brown hair that came down to the small of her back.  
"I'm sorry, but have we met somewhere before?" he asked curiously.  
"I'm not too sure," the girl replied, regarding the handsome man before her.  
Ranma looked at the handsome young man standing next to her. He had no real idea who he was. Perhaps the man were her boyfriend. He stood about as tall as Ranma and had short brown hair.  
"You look familiar too," Ranma said, "I know we've met somewhere before,"  
"I don't know who you are," the young man said, "I have no care to get to know anyone unless you are of the opposite sex,"  
After a moment, Ranma's eyes widened in recognition, "You're Mikado Senzenin! And she's Asuza Shiratori!"  
"That is our names," the young man named Mikado said, "I assume your know who we are because we are quite famous around here for we are the Golden Pair of Kolkhoz High School,"  
The young man and girl did a quick pose, as if expecting Ranma to take a picture of them.  
"Riiiight," Ranma said.  
He cleared his throat before grinning toward Mikado. Without warning, Ranma reached a hand out and grabbed Mikado's neck, surprising the young man.  
"A long time ago, you did something to me," Ranma said, referring to the time he had been kissed when he had been in his cursed for, "It was the single most humiliating thing that had ever happened to me in my life,"  
The young man's eyes widened in surprise, realizing he was having trouble breathing.  
Ranma lifted the young man off the ground by one hand, still holding him in one hand. The young man had a panicked look on his face as he wondered who Ranma was. Was Ranma one of the boyfriends of the many women he had stolen kisses from? Was he hear for revenge?  
"Gimme one good reason why I shouldn't do something really bad to you?" Ranma smirked, enjoying watching the young man squirm. "Ranma, what are you doing?" Akane approached Ranma.  
Ranma said, "Don't worry about this, Akane. I know what I'm doing,"  
Akane looked around and noticed many people staring at Ranma and Mikado.  
"C'mon, put him down," Akane said, "You're causing a scene,"  
"I don't care," Ranma said, still regarding the panicking young man.  
Ranma brought he man's face down close to his own, "Leave, if y'know what's good for ya,"  
He dropped the young man down to the ground. Mikado had this mortified and scared look on his face. He said nothing as he got back up to his feet, collecting his thoughts.  
"Might I have your name?" Mikado said in a calm voice, dusting the dust from his clothes.  
"Ranma Saotome," Ranma said, "Remember it,"  
"Not you," Mikado said, his gaze on Akane, "You?"  
"Me?" Akane asked, "Um, Akane Tendo, why?"  
"Such a beautiful name," Mikado said, "Very well, you shall be my next girlfriend,"  
"Mikado!" Ranma sneered.  
Mikado, sensing Ranma's obvious animosity toward him quickly ran away, "I will deal with you later,"  
Azusa, whom had been silently observing everything transpire the whole time, confused as to what had just happened, bowed politely toward Ranma and Akane and quickly ran off in the general direction Mikado had headed.  
"Good riddance," Ranma muttered.  
"Who was that?" Akane asked.  
"An old...an old enemy," Ranma said, "Let's just say I don't like him,"  
"Oh," Akane said.  
Akane's two friends came running up to Ranma and Akane, no longer caring about losing their place on the line.  
"Wow, that was so cool," one friend said, "Did you see the way he grabbed him and picked him up like that? Ranma, you must be strong as an ox,"  
"Um, thanks," Ranma gave a slight smile, scratching the back of his head.  
"Do you know him?" the other friend asked, "I recognize the two of them. They're the Golden Pair of Kolkhoz High School. You should be careful, that guy's name is Mikado Senzenin and I heard he's dangerous,"  
Ranma said, "Don't worry. I've got a funny feeling I can handle him,"  
"Why were you all angry at him?" the first friend asked.  
"Something to do with the past," Ranma said truthfully, "It happened a long time ago. I don't care to talk about it,"  
"Well, by the way we saw him running off, I'm pretty sure whatever you said to him scared him off," Akane stated, "I'm pretty sure we won't be seeing him again, whoever he is,"  
Ranma smirked. "I sure hope so,"

Ranma found himself really rusty with ice skating.  
"Jeez, I suck," Ranma muttered, falling down for the fifth. He had never gotten used to ice skating and he believed ice skating was not his thing. He liked having his feet firmly on the ground.  
Akane giggled, "You're doing fine,"  
She and her two friends helped Ranma to his feet. Both of Akane's friends had blushed on their faces, recalling the incident where they had helped him up and he had accidentally slipped and fell down on the both of them. It had been the closest either of them had been to a boy as handsome as Ranma before.  
Ranma said, "I feel like an idiot. Why'd I agree to this?"  
He had been on the ice for no more than ten minutes and he found himself having a rather miserable time. He didn't like feeling like he wasn't in control. The only thing he could do was stand still without worry of falling. It was when he tried ice skating and projecting himself forward on his skate did he have trouble staying upright.  
"Maybe you should practice standing on one leg, to work on your balance," Akane commented with a teasing grin, "It'll help strengthen your weakness,"  
"Ha ha, Akane," Ranma didn't seem all that amused. It was now Akane's turn to be teaching him and he didn't particularly care for it.  
Once Ranma was back on his feet, he came up with an idea.  
"Y'know what? Screw ice skating," Ranma stated, "I'm gonna do it my way,"  
"What do you have in mind?" Akane asked.  
Ranma lifted one of his feet up and slammed it down in the ice, the blade part of his skates breaking through the ice under his feet.  
"I'll walk around on the ice," Ranma said, "All I need to do is make sure I stomp my feet hard enough so the blade goes into the ice which'll help give me a stable foothold on the ice,"  
Akane shouted, "Ranma, you're ruining the ice rink doing that,"  
"So?" Ranma shrugged, "I won't tell if you won't tell,"  
"That's besides the point," one of Akane's friends said, "You're damaging the rink for everyone else that uses it,"  
Ranma sighed as he pulled both blades of his skate up out of the ice. He accidentally slipped and fell down on top of all three girls.  
"Forget it, I'm done," Ranma said, crawling on his hands and knees toward the rink exit, "I'm gonna go get myself something to drink. You girls can enjoy your ice skating without me. I'll just watch from one of the chairs that line the outside of the rink,"  
Akane and her two friends watched as Ranma slowly crawled his way toward the exit to the rink.  
As Ranma crawled on his hands and knees, a blast of ice struck him in the face.  
"What the?" Ranma muttered, wiping the ice from his face. He had no real idea what had happened except that someone had skated right up to him and made a quick stop right by him, sending a blast of ice up at him.  
When Ranma got the ice out of his eyes, he looked around to see who did that.  
Within moments, his gaze came to rest on the back of the young man named Mikado Senzenin as he could be seen gracefully skating up to Akane and her two friends.  
"Why that-" Ranma sneered. It was obvious that Ranma's threat didn't seem to have any effect on the young man, that they young man felt like he was in his element now that he was wearing skates and was on the ice.  
Ranma tried to get up to his feet and skate toward Akane and the others but slipped and ended up falling down to the ice again. "It seems like you're not skilled in the graceful art of ice skating," Mikado skated up to Ranma, skidding to a halt, sending another blast of ice up into Ranma's face again.  
"Oh man, you're going to regret that," Ranma muttered, trying to get back on his feet again, slipping yet again.  
Mikado laughed as he watched Ranma desperately trying to get up.  
With one fluid motion, Ranma stuck his fingers into the ice and ripped out a small chunk of ice and threw it at Mikado, hitting him in the head. The man didn't even know what hit him as he fell backwards to the ice unconscious, his mouth still wide open in mid-laugh.  
Ranma smirked.  
"Heh, who's laughing now,"

Ranma and Akane came home from the ice rink later that day.  
Not wanting or caring about learning to ice skate, Ranma had opted to hang out by the side of the rink and watch Akane and her friends ice skate. They didn't stay at the rink too long, neither Akane or her two friends having much fun since they were all aware that Ranma wasn't having a good time.  
"I'm sorry that the ice rink wasn't all that fun for you," Akane said, "I just figured-"  
Ranma said, "Oh don't worry about it. I had a pretty good time, but it wasn't my trying to learn how to ice skate and failing miserably,"  
"Let me guess, it was the time when you knocked out Mikado?" Akane smirked.  
"Bingo," Ranma smirked, "That's what made the day at the ice rink all enjoyable. Let's just say that I had fun at the ice rink today, if you take out the part about me skating there,"  
Akane giggled as Ranma chuckled. As they two of them entered that dining area, they caught sight of a young girl with purple hair sitting down by the table sipping at a cup of tea. Also sitting around the table were Kasumi and Genma.  
"Welcome back," Kasumi smiled warmly, "Ranma, you have a guest," "I see," Ranma said, recognizing the young girl. It was Shampoo. "Oh boy," Ranma felt the blood drain from his face. "Uncle Saotome brought her," Kasumi added.  
Ranma glared toward his father, "Are you insane, Pop?"  
"She followed me," Genma said nervously.  
"You know her?" Akane looked at Ranma.  
Shampoo, realizing that Ranma was finally home, that her long search for the man she was going to marry was finally over. She quickly made a leap toward him, intent on glomping Ranma in her loving arms.  
"Erk!" Ranma said, the breath being squeezed out of him as Shampoo hugged him tightly.  
"Ranma!" Akane shouted, "What's going on here?"  
Ranma quickly broke the embrace and took a step backwards.  
"Hold up, Shampoo," Ranma said nervously, "I didn't mean to beat you that day. I only did it to get your great-grandmother to tell me something,"  
"You I love!" Shampoo leapt forward and hugged Ranma again, bringing her lips up to him.  
"What's going on here?" Akane shouted, realizing that some purple haired bimbo was kissing Ranma. She ran forward and shoved Shampoo, causing the girl to lose her hold of her beloved and stagger toward the side, trying to keep her balance. After a couple of hops on one leg, she regained her balance and turned her attention toward the girl that had shoved her.  
Akane and Shampoo glared at one another, the tension in the room becoming so thick it almost felt tangible.  
"What's going on here?" Soun asked, entering the room.  
"Father," Kasumi said, "Well, I'm not really sure, but Ranma's girlfriend from China forced her way in to get back together with Ranma and-"  
"Girlfriend?" Soun's eyes widened.  
"You don't know what you're talking about," Ranma said to Kasumi, "She's not my girlfriend. She's supposed to be my fiancee,"  
Ranma stopped when he realized he wasn't supposed to have said that.  
Akane crossed her arms in front of her chest, "Finacee, huh?"  
Ranma pinched the bridge of his nose. How come he didn't see something like this ahead of time? Why did something like this have to happened to him so long ago that he barely remembered the string of events he had encountered over his childhood.  
"Who is she?" Shampoo and Akane said, pointing toward one another.  
He looked at Akane and then at Shampoo as they both looked at him curiously. He tried to think of something to say that would help alleviate the situation at hand, coming up with nothing. Ranma pinched the bridge of his nose.  
"Man, the more things change, the more things stay the same,"

"C'mon, there's plenty of me to go around," Ranma smirked.  
"Ranma!" Akane and Shampoo said. Ranma, Shampoo, and Akane were in the dojo. Not wanting his father or Akane's family interfering, he had asked to speak to the two of them in private.  
"All right, I'm just joking around," Ranma said.  
Akane and Shampoo continued to glare toward one another, their animosity toward each other very evident.  
"Will you two please quit glaring at one another?" Ranma said in annoyance.  
Akane and Shampoo turned their attention onto Ranma.  
Ranma turned toward Shampoo, "Shampoo, you're a sweet girl. I'm sure I'm a really lucky guy to have caught your attention, but guess what? I don't acknowledge our engagement,"  
Shampoo found herself at a loss of words for a moment, "It because Ranma engage to that Akane girl?"  
"Actually, that's not the case," Ranma said, "Akane and I aren't engaged either. I don't acknowledge our engagement either,"  
Akane said nothing. Ranma never acknowledged their engagement? Oh yeah, I forgot, Akane realized. Our engagement was fake. Ranma only wanted to pretend we were engaged to keep people from bothering the two of us and trying to force us together. By pretending we were together, people left us alone.  
It seemed like Akane had gotten so used to her and Ranma being supposedly engaged that she had forgotten that it was fake. "I am engaged to no one," Ranma said in a stern voice, "Not you, not Akane, not anyone. If you want to believe otherwise, that's your prerogative, but that doesn't exclude the fact that we're not engaged,"  
"It Chinese Amazon law," Shampoo say, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a small book containing the laws of her village, "You defeat Shampoo in combat. Therefore-"  
Ranma crossed his hands in front of his chest, "So?"  
Shampoo said nothing. She looked on the verge of tears.  
Ranma sighed. He realized he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He wondered what he could do to change the volatile situation into something more controllable. "There's a reason why I don't acknowledge our engagement," Ranma smirked, coming up with an idea. It seemed rather crazy, but he didn't really care. He had been in many crazy situations before. Of course, it would be different this time around. "What reason is that?" Shampoo asked curiously.  
Ranma smirked, "I'll only acknowledge our engagement if the patriarch of your village defeats me in battle,"  
"You only accept engagement if Shampoo's great-grandmother fight and defeat you?" Shampoo asked.  
Ranma continued to smirk, "Yeah,"  
He was confident of his abilities. Cologne would show up not too long from now and would challenge him. He will defeat her and null the engagement. That way, Ranma would not have to worry about his supposed engagement to Shampoo anymore. Shampoo yelped in happiness as she ran forward and glomped onto Ranma.  
"Aiya, Shampoo so happy," she said, "When Shampoo's great-grandmother show up, Ranma as good as defeated. Shampoo go on considering engagement real since it will become real after great-grandmother defeat you. Ranma and Shampoo basically as good as married,"  
Ranma threw his hands up into the air as Shampoo continued to glomp onto him. "Oh, come on!"

Akane and Shampoo glared at one another as they ate dinner at the table.  
Shampoo had reluctantly agreed to go along with the premise that Ranma and Akane were engaged but wasn't happy about it.  
"You're to pretend that Akane and I are engaged," Ranma had told Shampoo while they were in the dojo.  
"But-" Shampoo tried to say.  
"That's it," Ranma said sternly, "Even though the two of us aren't really engaged, I want our parents to believe otherwise. We would rather give the impression that we're engaged so our parents won't bother us and try and force us into an engagement than not and hafta deal with 'em,"  
Shampoo said in a soft voice, "Shampoo think she understand,"  
Akane said nothing a sad look on her face as well.  
At the dinner table, there was a bit of tension in the air.  
"So, all of this was a misunderstanding?" Soun asked, wanting to make sure.  
Ranma cast Shampoo a glance.  
"Shampoo mistaken Ranma for someone else," Shampoo said, looking down at the table, "Ranma and Shampoo not engaged. Um, but Shampoo do know Ranma, from childhood. We childhood friends,"  
Ranma cast Shampoo a look, wondering what that girl was up to.  
Soun smiled happily, "Ah. Childhood friends,"  
"So, what brings you here from China?" Soun asked.  
"Yeah, what bring you here from China?" Ranma smirked, "Also, explain to him how we know each other from our childhood,"  
Shampoo nervously said, "Um, Shampoo find out Ranma live her and wanted to come visit and say hi. Um, Shampoo and Ranma met long time ago, um, when Ranma visiting village when on training trip many years ago,"  
"Training trip to China?" Genma said, "The only time we've been to China was-"  
"Oops," Shampoo said, spilling hot tea all over Genma, using that as a means to get him to shut up. Besides, she still owed him for eating her food, the food she was supposed to receive when she won that martial arts competition that day in her village.  
"Ahhhh!" Genma shouted, jumping up out of his seat as the scolding hot tea burned him.  
Ranma burst out laughing. He found it really amusing, seeing his father like that. After Genma was done basically dancing around like an idiot after being scolded by the hot tea, everyone in the dining area calmed down.  
"Where will you be staying?" Kasumi asked warmly.  
"Shampoo not know where yet," Shampoo said.  
"Why not stay here with us?" Kasumi asked.  
"What?" Ranma and Akane shouted.  
"Since you and Ranma know each other from your childhood, this would be a good chance to catch up on old times," Kasumi said sweetly.  
"That very good idea," Shampoo said, ecstatic, "Shampoo more than happy to stay. Great-grandmother come visit in few days. Can Shampoo stay until she come to Japan?"  
Soun said, "A few days. That should be no problem,"  
"Aiya, thank you," Shampoo smiled happily.  
Ranma pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.  
"You've gotta be kidding me,"

Ranma stretched out in his futon. It was early in the morning and he usually woke up at around the same time for his morning jog. He didn't need any alarm clock or such, his body used to waking up early.  
However, unlike most mornings, today's morning was different as he felt something soft and warm in his hands.  
"What the?" he asked himself.  
He sat upright and looked down at his hand and found his hand resting firmly on one of Shampoo's breasts as she slept right next to him. "Oh shit!" Ranma shouted in surprised, scooting backwards in his futon and getting up to his feet. The blankets fell down to feet as he did so to reveal that he was completely naked. Ranma slept naked so it was only natural that he not have any clothes on at the moment.  
Genma slept soundly, not stirring one bit.  
Shampoo slowly woke up. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and took a moment to ascertain where she was. When she saw Ranma, she quickly snapped wide awake and quickly got to her feet, leaping forward to glomp onto Ranma, completely oblivious to the fact that he was naked and that she was damn near close to naked, wearing nothing more than her bra and panties.  
"Erk!" Ranma said.  
The door to his open opened. Akane had been walking right by his room when she heard Ranma yelp, on her way downstairs to get ready for her morning jog.  
"What's going on-" Akane asked, concerned for Ranma.  
Standing in the middle of the room was a completely naked Ranma and a nearly naked Shampoo hugging him.  
When he caught sight of Akane standing in the doorway, he looked up toward the sky as if trying to talk to God herself.  
"Oh, come on!"

Ranma tried explaining away what had happened that morning.  
"It's not what it seems," Ranma told her while they were walking together toward school, "She snuck into my bed while I was sleeping,"  
Akane had gone jogging that morning on her own, needing the time alone to clear her head while Ranma had been forced to stay home that morning to give Shampoo a stern lecturing about how if she ever did something like that again, he would personally kick her out of the house.  
"It's none of my business what you and Shampoo do," Akane muttered, "Afterall, it's not like you and I are engaged and you're not obligated to tell me what you do or don't do,"  
Ranma shrugged, "Okay, fine. Then I won't bother explaining it,"  
Akane and Ranma went about walking in silence. It didn't seem to bother Ranma one bit what Akane thought of him that it started bothering her. Also, curiosity was definitely getting the better of her.  
Eventually, she caved in and asked.  
"Forget it," Ranma said, "You had your chance. I'm not telling you,"  
"What?" Akane was shocked. "I'm not telling you," Ranma repeated, "Frankly, now that I think about it, I don't need to really explain myself. I already told you. It's your prerogative whether or not you wanna believe me,"  
Ranma had realized that he really didn't care about what people thought of him. He had nothing to prove. He had been through so many situations in his life that worrying about what a young girl thought had transpired between him and Shampoo was trivial by comparison.  
Akane said nothing, feeling sad.  
Ranma felt bad. He really didn't want to make Akane sad. Of course, he wasn't the same young man he used to be. Something like Akane being angry at him because she believe something had happened when it didn't happened seemed trivial to Ranma.  
Ranma shrugged.  
"Look, nothing happened. If you don't believe me, then that's your prerogative,"  
Ranma slept in class.  
When lunch came around, no one bothered to wake him up.  
A fellow classmate and once woken him up and had found out the hard way that Ranma didn't like to be woken up strictly for the amusement of others. Ranma, in his sleepy stupor, had walked over to where the boy kept his book bag and threw it out the window, papers flying everywhere and littering the courtyard.  
"Now who's laughing?" Ranma sneered before he went back to sleep.  
Ranma never understood what people found so amusing about suddenly waking someone up. After that incident, no student ever bothered waking him up, not for their own amusement.  
Ranma would've slept through lunch but a loud thud emanated throughout the school that made him wake up.  
He yawned and stretched his arms out.  
"What was that?" one classmate asked.  
Ranma rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and noticed the curious looks on his fellow classmates' eyes. When he heard a loud noise, he instantly snapped wide awake, ready for action, whatever it may be.  
"It's getting closer," another student stated when they heard a loud thud again.  
Ranma started looking around, wondering what was causing that noise.  
After a moment, the back wall of the classroom caved inward. When the wall collapsed, it reveal a pretty young girl with purple hair.  
"Shampoo," Ranma muttered.  
"Hello, Ranma," Shampoo smiled warmly at him, holding a large dish that was covered by a dishcover in her arms.  
"What are you doing here?" Ranma asked.  
"Wife make lunch," Shampoo said, placing the large dish on Ranma's desk and removing the dishcover to reveal a delicious looking Chinese meal that instantly made everyone's mouth become watery from just the thought of how delicious the dish tasted.  
Ranma looked at the dish, trying to recall if he was feeling a sense of nostalgia, if he had gone through something like this before when he was young. Something seemed missing.  
"Oh yeah, P-chan was on there," Ranma finally remember after a moment, "There was a pig that topped the dish. This one doesn't have it,"  
"P-chan?" Akane asked.  
Ranma ignored Akane's curious glance and looked up at Shampoo as she smiled warmly at him.  
"Shampoo make husband dish for lunch," Shampoo said.  
"Husband?" the class gasped. "Shampoo, I'm not your husband," Ranma muttered.  
Shampoo continued to smile, "Of course. But considering Cologne expected to defeat Ranma to make engagement official, Ranma and Shampoo already as good as married,"  
Ranma pinched the bridge of his nose, "Ugh,"  
"Shampoo," Akane shouted toward Shampoo, "You and Ranma aren't engaged,"  
"Neither Akane and Ranma," Shampoo retorted. "What? You two aren't engaged?" several classmates asked.  
Akane, in a fit of rage, slapped the dish that Shampoo had made off Ranma's desk, the dish falling down to the floor, ruined. Ranma's eyes widened as he looked down at the perfectly good dish ruined.  
"Aw, man," Ranma muttered. He never liked good food going to waste.  
Shampoo sneered at Akane, "Akane do that on purpose!"  
"Yeah, I did," Akane said.  
She didn't like Shampoo one bit and she wanted to make it known. She and Ranma had been doing fine until Shampoo had showed up so suddenly. "We fight!" Shampoo smirked, getting into a battle stance.  
Akane smirked, "Fine. I don't care. I haven't had a good fight in a while,"  
She had a funny feeling Shampoo was a good fighter but wasn't all that worried. She was confident in her abilities as well. She had been training under Ranma's tutelage for a bit and she was also in a lot better shape than she had ever been, her daily morning jog with Ranma the reason.  
"Now now, there's no need to fight," Ranma said, trying to step between the two of them, feeling like things were about to get out of hand really soon.  
Shampoo and Akane seemed to be ignoring Ranma as they seemed to continue to glare at one another. Standing between the two of them, Ranma could feel the palpable tension forming between both girls.  
Ranma looked back and forth between Shampoo and Akane. He could tell that they weren't hearing him, their attention focused only on one another.  
After a moment, Ranma threw his hands up in resignation.  
"Y'know what? Fuck it. Go ahead and fight,"

new stuff 11/6

Oddly enough, Akane and Shampoo didn't fight. They just stared at Ranma. Perhaps it was because of his vulgar use of language and how he seemed so casual about using it but Ranma telling them to go ahead caught them by surprised.  
"You want us to fight?" Akane had to asked.  
"Sure," Ranma shrugged, "Fight to your heart's content. I don't care. Have fun,"  
Ranma really didn't care if they fought. From experience, he knew that it wasn't worth the effort to stop them. If he tried, he would most likely end up getting accidentally hit by the two of them in the process.  
Shampoo and Akane looked at Ranma, confused looks on their face. Ranma picked up his boxed lunch and headed for the door, "I'm gonna go eat some lunch outside. See you guys later,"  
"Y-you're leaving?" one student asked Ranma.  
"Yep," Ranma said, "I find this bickering between the two of you childish and want none of it,"  
Ranma exited the classroom and began walking down the hallway.  
"I'm growing tired of the same chain of events taking place," Ranma muttered to himself, "It's about time I do something about it and try and change it,"  
He scratched his head.  
"Why does this stuff happened to me?" Ranma muttered, "I'm not some sixteen year old kid. I'm nothing like the kid I used to be. I'm basically running the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts and this stuff still happens to me. Do I hafta do something to the extreme to prevent the timeline from progressing in the same manner as it did when I was young? Heck, now that I think about it, I don't need this timeline to act out in similar fashion as my past. I already know where Happousai is so it's not like I need this timeline to stay on track to get my hands on the nanban mirror,"  
He wondered what he should do to alter the timeline, to prevent events from taking place in the usual fashion as his past.  
As Ranma walked down the hallway, a teacher rounded the corner.  
Ranma smirked as he got an idea.  
"Ranma, what are you doing out here in the halls," the teacher asked. Lunchtime was done and he was heading toward Ranma's class to begin the afternoon lessons.  
"I quit," Ranma said.  
"What?" the teacher asked, confused.  
"I quit school," he stated firmly, "I'm dropping out,"  
"What?" the teacher's eyes widened in surprise, "Do you have any idea what you're saying?"  
Ranma nodded, "Yeah, I do. I'm dropping out and no one's gonna stop me,"  
"W-what do you intend to do?" the teacher asked, concern in his voice, "You're basically throwing your future doing something like that. What are you going to do without an education?"  
Ranma laughed. Plenty, he thought. I did it before and I can do it again now. If I stop attending school, that will eliminate a large portion of the problems that will come my way. Heck, I won't hafta deal with people like the Principal and Ms. Hinako and Kuno and such. That's worth it.  
"Ranma, I forbid it," the teacher said, "I'm not going to let you throw your future away. There's got to be a way to prevent you from making a choice like that,"  
"Look, Teach, I was wrong about you," Ranma smiled at the man, "It seems like you really are a professional and do care about your students. However, I'm not like most students. There's nothing to worry about. I'll be fine,"  
The teacher said nothing. With that said, Ranma exited the school, never looking back.

"Does anyone here know what made Ranma decide to drop out of school?" the teacher asked, entering the classroom. When he saw the gaping hole in the back of the classroom, he gasped, "What the happened here?"  
"Ranma's dropped out of school?" Akane turned toward the teacher.  
The teacher nodded, "That's what he said. Anyone here knows what was the cause of that decision? And what happened here? Where did this hole come from?"  
Akane and Shampoo just looked at one another before they ran out of the class to find Ranma, wondering if what they heard was true.  
They caught sight of Ranma not to far away from the school, walking in the direction of the Tendo home.  
"Ranma!" they called out to him.  
He turned around to face him.  
"Yeah?" he asked.  
"Is it true?" Akane asked, "Is it true that you're dropping out of school?"  
Ranma smirked, "Wow, news spreads fast, huh? I only told the teacher around five minutes ago. And to answer you question, yes, I am dropping out,"  
"What? Why?" Akane asked.  
Ranma shrugged, "I wanted to. Don't wanna deal with school and the problems it presents or will present in the near future,"  
"What do you mean by that?" Akane asked.  
Ranma waved a dismissive hand, "Forget about it. It doesn't concern you. I made that decision on my own,"  
Akane said nothing.  
Shampoo smiled, taking a lunge toward him, "Aiya, Shampoo happy. Now Shampoo can be around Ranma more often since he no longer have to spend time in school,"  
Ranma held his hand up which caused Shampoo to stop dead in her tracks.  
"Don't even think about it," he told her in a cold voice, "You're not my fiancee and you have no right to think otherwise,"  
He steeled his emotions. He was not the young boy he used to be that cared about what other people thought or felt. That was one of the reasons why he got into the crap he got into then, because he was too much of a wimp with his emotions and the feelings of others.  
"What?" Shampoo said.  
"We are not engaged, Shampoo," Ranma said, "Get it through your head. If you want to think otherwise, go right ahead, just don't have me included with it,"  
Shampoo said nothing.  
"W-what's gotten into you, Ranma?" Akane asked, shocked at Ranma's sudden change in mood and personality.  
"Nothing, really," Ranma answered, "I'm just doing something I should've done a long time ago,"  
By not letting people walk all over me, he thought. I'm not the young boy I used to be. I can't let people walk over me like I did when I was young. I'm not that person anymore and can never be that person. Besides, the thought of having to deal with the crap I hafta deal with when I was young all over again doesn't sound as appealing as it used to be, even if I am older and wiser.  
"Doing something you should've done a long time ago?" Akane asked, confused, "What do you mean by that?"  
Ranma smirked, "By realizing no one controls me or my life by myself," He turned around and headed toward the house, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some packing to do,"  
"Packing?" Akane asked.  
"I'm moving out,"  
Ranma entered the dojo at around one in the afternoon, Akane and Shampoo following behind him. Soun and Genma had been teaching afternoon class in the dojo when they caught sight of him. Because Genma was in the middle of showing a technique to the class while Soun had been observing, Soun was free to approach Ranma and the others.  
"Ranma? Akane?" Soun asked, "What are you doing here? You should be in school,"  
"I dropped out," Ranma answered, "I'm not going to school anymore,"  
"What?" Soun was shocked to hear that, "Y-you dropped out of school?"  
"Yep," Ranma nodded.  
"Whatever for?" Soun asked, "Why would you go an do that?"  
Ranma shrugged, "I felt like it. I don't need school,"  
Soun seemed genuinely concerned for Ranma, "Ranma, I don't think that's a prudent choice. This is your future we are talking about. You need an education,"  
Ranma said, "I've decided on this and I'm not gonna be convinced otherwise,"  
"It's best that you discus this with your father," Soun said, "I don't think he will be all that pleased,"  
"I'm not worried," Ranma said. He didn't care how Genma was going to take the news.  
"What's going on here?" Genma approached the group, finished showing the class a certain technique and asking them to practice, "How come you're home, boy? You should be in school,"  
Ranma said, "I know, I should be in school, but I'm not. I'm dropping out,"  
"What?" Genma said, eyes wide in surprise, "Y-you're dropping out?"  
Ranma nodded, "Yep,"  
"I won't allow it," Genma said.  
"Or what?" Ranma crossed his hands in front of his chest, "You're not gonna stop me. I'm gonna make my own decisions and not have other people decide for me, and one of those decisions is to drop out of school,"  
"Why?" Genma asked.  
"I don't wanna deal with it," Ranma said bluntly, "You wouldn't understand,"  
Soun looked at Akane, "Akane, don't tell me you're here to tell me you're dropping out as well,"  
Akane held her hands of defensively, "Oh, no. Not at all. I just heard the news and followed him home,"  
Soun sighed in relief.  
"Oh yeah," Ranma said, "I'm moving out,"  
"What?" Genma and Soun said.  
"I'm moving out," Ranma said, "I'm gonna go find a place of my own to live,"  
"Whatever for?" Soun asked, his world spinning.  
"Because I don't want to live here," Ranma said, "I want to live on my own,"  
"But you just got here," Soun said, "This doesn't make sense,"  
"To you it doesn't," Ranma said, "To me it does,"  
"Why all of this all of a sudden?" Genma asked, "You seemed perfectly fine with staying here when you left this morning,"  
Ranma shrugged, "I had a change in heart. I've decided this all on a whim,"  
Soun felt liked he needed to sit down.  
"Well, it's your decision," Soun said after a moment, "However, at least your future isn't in that great a jeopardy. Afterall, when you and Akane marry, you two can take over the school so your futures are secure,"  
Ranma gave a meek smile. He figured he might as well let it be known that he never considered him and Akane engaged in the first place. It was best to get it out in the open now than later.  
"About that engagement," Ranma began.

Ranma went about packing what little clothes he had in a small duffle bag. Akane and Shampoo were standing right by his door watching him as he did so.  
"What made you decide all of a sudden?" Akane had to asked, "Dropping out of school, moving out, making it known the engagement was not real. When did it pop into your head to do this?"  
"Probably around the time Shampoo showed up," Ranma answered, still packing, "I'd rather do this than deal with what's to come,"  
"What do you mean by what's to come?" Shampoo asked.  
"Forget about it," Ranma said, "It doesn't really matter. It's my decision,"  
"You're not making any sense," Akane said, "I thought we were getting along fine, and now, all of a sudden, you decide all of this without a moment's notice, without talking to me?"  
Ranma stopped packing, "Why, did I need your permission on making the decisions I made?"  
"No, I didn't mean like that," Akane said, "It just-"  
"Sorry, no offense, but you have no say in what I decide," Ranma answered, "I'm my own person and I'm free to make my own decisions whether you like it or not. It's ultimately my choice,"  
Shampoo asked, "What about you and Shampoo? What about us?"  
Ranma said, "There is no 'us'. We aren't engaged. We never were and we never will,"  
"And what about deal about great-grandmother defeating you and you acknowledge engagement?" Shampoo asked, "Does that mean nothing?"  
Ranma said, "Right, it means nothing. I just said it to get you off my back and to stop chasing me for the time being,"  
Shampoo said nothing.  
Ranma turned back around to continue with his packing.  
"Where will you stay?" Akane asked, realizing that it was useless to try and convince him.  
Ranma said, "Dunno, whoever'll take me in,"  
"Whoever'll take you in?" Akane asked, "What, you're going to ask random strangers if they'll let you live with them?"  
Ranma said, "Sure, why not? I'll ask the girls in the class this afternoon if they'll take me in. I'm sure someone of them won't mind. And even if no one does, it's not like I don't know how to live on my own. I used to travel around a lot and live in a tent. I'm a very independent person and can do fine on my own,"  
Akane said nothing for a moment, "Um, are you leaving because of me?"  
"No," Ranma said, "I'm leaving because I want a change of scenery,"  
"But what about our supposed engagement?" Akane asked, "It sounds like you're trying to cut ties to the Tendo family,"  
Ranma said, "What ties? There were no ties to begin with so there are no ties that are being cut,"  
He felt bad saying those words but it was for the best. He knew there was no way he was going to get out of this situation without hurting anyone's feelings. It was best to hurt everyone's feelings now instead of later, so that the healing process could begin much earlier.  
"I like you, Akane," Ranma said, "Really, I do. I like hanging out with you,"  
Shampoo let out an annoyed breath.  
"Shampoo, do you mind?" Ranma asked angrily, "If you don't like what you're hearing, then leave,"  
Shampoo said nothing, looking embarrassed.  
"Anyway," Ranma said, "I like you, Akane. Really, I do. It's just that I don't see you as anything more than a friend,"  
Akane looked down at the ground, a sad look on her face. Ranma noticed this.  
"Look, perhaps you might like me a lot and would like to see our friendship taken up another level," Ranma added, "But I'm sorry, I don't see us as having a relationship anything more than that of friendship,"  
He knew that that had to be the case. He will be leaving this world, afterall. He felt like he was doing her the favor, so that she wouldn't be devastated when he did leave this world and leave her behind. "What about Shampoo?" Shampoo asked.  
"I have no problems with being your friend," Ranma told her, "Just don't expect me to see you as anything else but a friend. If you want to think otherwise, go right ahead. But let it be known that I won't see it as the way you see it,"  
Shampoo said nothing.  
"I plan on still hanging around to teach class," Ranma said, "However, after I'm done with teaching class, I'm gonna go do my own thing,"  
"What, you don't like hanging out with me?" Akane asked.  
Ranma said, "Don't go putting words in my mouth, Akane. I never said that. I simply want a change in scenery,"  
And being away from home and school will help keep the trouble from finding me like back when I was young, Ranma thought. "Besides," Ranma added, "It's not like you really need me around anyway. The dojo is fine and is providing a good source of income with new members joining up every day. And with me gone, that's one less mouth to feed. Sure, your old man's disappointed about the turn of events, that we're not gonna get married, but he'll get over it,"  
Akane was silent for a moment, as if trying to muster the courage to say something.  
"Also, my old man isn't a freeloader anymore since he helps out with teaching," Ranma said, "It all works out for the best,"  
"Not for me," Akane blurted out, "I liked hanging out with you,"  
She blushed a deep shade of red upon realizing what she had said. Here was a girl that detested boys basically all of her life all the way until the very day Ranma had entered her life. Had Ranma's presence changed her that much that quickly? What did that mean? Heck, she had contemplated cutting her hair short for God's sake, something that she never would've done under any other circumstances. Ranma gave her a soft smile and placed a hand on her shoulder, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but, as much as I like hanging out with you, I'm still moving out,"  
"This doesn't make sense," Akane persisted, "How can you decide this all of a sudden? You gave no signs or indications that this kind of decision was brewing in the back of your head,"  
Ranma said, "I didn't think of doing this until probably around lunch time, right around the time when I saw you and Shampoo about to fight over me,"  
Akane became defensive, "What makes you think I was going to fight her over you?" Ranma sighed, "Y'know what? Fine, go ahead and deny how much you like me. But let it be known that I'm not as stupid as you take me for not to notice something like that. If you don't like me, then you wouldn't get angry or jealous over things I do,"  
Akane blushed a deep shade of red.  
Ranma turned toward Shampoo, "And you,"  
"Me? What about me?" Shampoo pointed toward herself, blushing, wondering what Ranma was about to say.  
"I don't even know why you're after me in the first place," Ranma said.  
"Shampoo defeated by Ranma," Shampoo stated, "It Amazon law,"  
Ranma said, "What does that hafta do with me? How did this all start in the first place. I was with my old man. He was the one that ate your first prized food,"  
Shampoo became silent.  
"Look," Ranma shrugged, "That's behind us. All I know is that what you did to me by challenging me instead of my father was unfair. By no means whatsoever should I have ended up in such a predicament,"  
Shampoo said nothing.  
"What are you going to do about money?" Akane asked, changing the subject.  
"Your old man," Ranma said, "I'm getting an allowance from him now that the dojo is generating an income. In a sense, the allowance he gives me is kinda like the pay he gives me for teaching classes so it's all good,"  
"My dad was rather upset," Akane said, "You don't think he'll cut your allowance or even fire you, do you?"  
Ranma shrugged, "I don't care. He can go ahead and try. I doubt he's that stupid to bite the hand that fed him. I was, afterall, the one that got the dojo its students and to where it is,"  
"Don't underestimate my dad," Akane smirked. Her father had done some stupid things from time to time. If she thought about it, that whole deal with him trying to marry off one of his daughters to secure the family legacy was an idiotic idea. Of course, when she found out she had been picked and what kind of person Ranma was, the idea didn't seem all that bad.  
Ranma said, "Actually, I don't really care. I can come by money without problems,"  
"Doing what?" Shampoo asked curiously. Her great-grandmother had expressed interest in coming to Japan and starting up a Chinese restaurant. Maybe Ranma might be interested in becoming a waiter at the restaurant.  
"Who knows?" Ranma shrugged, "Perhaps work at another dojo. I'm a damn good sensei and I'm sure other schools will notice and let me work there. Heh, I doubt Akane's old man will want me to do that, work for a rival school,"

Ranma stood in front of the class that late afternoon.  
Soun was angry at Ranma for his decisions and hadn't spoken to him since he dropped the news. It bothered Ranma a bit but not too much. Ranma knew that that was going to be a result of his actions.  
"Class, I have a question I would like before we start," Ranma said, getting everyone's attention.  
"What is it, sensei?" one girl asked.  
"Ask away, sensei," another girl said.  
Everyone in the class paid Ranma their full attention.  
"Does anyone here have an extra room they can spare?" Ranma asked, "I'm interested in moving out and I figure it'd be easier to move in with one of you guys for a short time instead of going out and living in a tent until I can get on my feet and find a place of my own,"  
He looked around the class and gave a slight smile.  
"Is there anyone interested in letting me move in with them for a short while?" he asked, his voice hopeful.  
Every female in the class raised their hands.

new stuff 11/7

"Wow, that's a lotta volunteers," Ranma whistled, "And you guys barely even know me. I've only been training you guys for a short time,"  
"We know you well enough that you're as good a guy as you are a sensei," one female commented.  
"I agree with that," several females concurred.  
Ranma waved a dismissive hand, "Aw, you girls sure know how to flatter a guy. Please, say more,"  
The class started laughing as Ranma chuckled along with them.  
A woman that looked much younger than her actual age stepped forward, as if to seize the opportunity while everyone else was laughing.  
"Ranma, I'd be more than happy to accommodate you," the woman smiled warmly, "It'd be no trouble to either myself or my husband,"  
Ranma regarded the woman for a moment. The fact that she had a husband meant that she was married. That was a good thing. That way, he didn't have to worry about something like the woman suddenly developing feelings for her new houseguest despite the fact that he was probably about half her age. He seemed to have the kind of effect on women.  
He smiled, "Okay, I accept. I'll stay with you then,"  
"That was a quick decision," one woman stated.  
Ranma smiled, gesturing toward the woman, "She was the first one that spoke up so I choose her. I have no preference on where I stay which made the decision all the easier,"  
Several females in the class seemed genuinely disappointed. This led Ranma to believe that they might actually have some kind of feelings for him and might actually believe that him staying at their place was a good opportunity to get to know him and perhaps developing that sensei-student relationship they currently shared into something else.  
Ranma smiled at the woman, "Well, Mrs. Hyusa, it looks like I'll be staying with you for a short time. I hope I'm not much of a bother,"  
The woman smiled warmly, "Not at all. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure you and my husband will get along fine. My husband is very into martial arts much like yourself and even used to be a sensei as well,"  
"Really?" Ranma seemed interested, "I like him already,"  
The woman laughed warmly.

"I can't believe you're moving out and into someone else's place," Akane said to Ranma when he was walking by her during training. Akane had been standing in with the class when Ranma had made that request and had been completely stunned silent when she heard him.  
Ranma said, "Why, what's wrong with what I'm doing? I asked for someone willing to let me crash at their place and she volunteered first,"  
"You don't even know who she is," Akane said.  
"So?" Ranma shrugged, "Bothers me none. Besides, it's my decisions,"  
Akane let out an annoyed breath.  
"Look, I'm sure Mrs. Hyusa is a nice woman," Ranma said, "I'm a pretty good judge of character and I'm sure she's very nice. Besides, it's my decisions anyway. I already told you I planned on moving out earlier in the day so why should this come as a surprise,"  
"I thought you were going to perhaps live in a tent or something," Akane responded, "You never once mentioned about asking one of your students for a place to crash,"  
Ranma smirked, "Here's a question. If you had to move out, where would you rather live, in a tent, or in somebody's house?"  
Akane's silence gave him the answer he already knew.  
"Why the heck should I live in a tent when someone's willing to let me crash at their place?" Ranma asked, "It doesn't make sense. I have no gripes about asking for help. Why should I make it hard on myself anyway?"  
Heck, me being too stubborn to ask for help is one of the reasons why I got into so much trouble in the first place when I was young, he thought. "How come you never told me about your decision to move in with one of your students?" Akane asked, a bit upset.  
"I did tell you," Ranma said, "I told you I was moving out,"  
"Yes, but not into one of your student's home?" she retorted.  
"So?" Ranma didn't seem to understand what he was arguing about.  
"Forget it," she snorted, turning around and basically storming out of the dojo.  
Ranma took a step after Akane to stop her but stopped. Instead, he watched as she exited the dojo and crossed the backyard and disappeared into the house.  
"Forget it," Ranma muttered, "I ain't chasing after her. If she doesn't want to get to the point and tell me what's upsetting her, then I guess there's nothing I can do about it,"  
"Are you ready?" the woman approached Ranma. She had been chatting with someone from the class for a moment while Ranma had been off talking to Akane. When she noticed Ranma was alone, she figured it was best they get going.  
Ranma stared at the house for a moment before he turned toward the woman and smiled.  
"Sure, let's go,"

Ranma whistled, "Whoa, that's your car?"  
Before him was a car that looked like it cost more than the entire Tendo home. After class had ended, he had walked along with Mrs. Hyusa to the nearby parking lot where she had parked her car. Although Ranma was used to seeing cars in his worlds, cars far more advanced and futuristic than this car, he knew a nice car when he saw one.  
"Yes, it's one of my cars," she answered. There was not a hint of arrogance in her voice. She said the comment matter-of-factly, as if it was a simple answer to a simple question, "Actually, this is one of my husband's cars,"  
"Wow, he must be really successful," Ranma stated.  
"A bit, yes," she said, "He's the CEO of Aido Airlines,"  
"Heh, I guess you landed the jackpot, huh, marrying someone like that?" Ranma asked.  
She tried to keep smiling as she asked, "You're not used to being tactful, are you?"  
"Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you or nothing," Ranma said, giving her a meek smile, "People say I suffer from 'foot-in-mouth syndrome'.  
She laughed, "It's no problem. No offense taken. You are right, my husband is really successful. He almost makes as much as I do,"  
"Whoa, you make more than him?" Ranma asked, "What do you do? Lettme guess, you must be the president of some textile company,"  
The woman's eyes widened, "H-how'd you know?"  
Ranma looked surprised, "Really? Wow, I was just making a guess. Who'dve thought I'd get it right on the first try? So, exactly where do you and your husband live? You must live in some kind of upscale neighborhood, huh?"  
"Not at all," she answered, "We actually live in a neighboring town. My daughter attends Hyaka High School,"  
"Daughter, huh?" Ranma started getting suspicious, "What's her name? How old is she?"  
"Sixteen, the same age as yourself," she answered, "Her name is Shori,"  
Ranma cast Mrs. Hyusa an odd look.  
She laughed, "No, I'm not trying to play matchmaker between you and my daughter. I just wanted to help you out,"  
"Oh," Ranma said, feeling bad, "I'm sorry. I shouldn'tve jumped to conclusions like that. I didn't mean it,"  
"It's okay," she said, "However, I wouldn't mind if you become her friend though,"  
Ranma cast her a glance again, "So you ARE trying to play matchmaker,"  
"Not at all," she answered, "She's really shy. It's just that I noticed you have this way of making all the shy students in class seem to overcome their shyness in no time. I figured you can help her out a bit,"  
"Oh," Ranma said, "Well, I guess I can try and help out, sure,"  
Ranma climbed into the passenger side of the expensive-looking vehicle as the woman climbed into the driver side. "So, you mentioned your husband does martial arts, huh?" they started indulging in conversation, "How long's he been doing it?"  
"For a quite a while," she answered, "Of course, that was a long time ago. He stopped donning a dogi in exchange for a business suit,"  
"Ah," Ranma said, "But that doesn't make all that much sense. If he knows martial arts, why the heck are you having it where I'm teaching you instead of just asking your husband,"  
Mrs. Hyusa smiled, "I liked your presentation. I had no idea who you were when you approached me but you left a good impression on me. I figured I'd give your class a try. Concerning my husband teaching me, I never found martial arts all that appealing which is why I never bothered to ask my husband to teach me. I like the way you presented yourself to me so I figured I'd give you school a try. After the first day, I realized I really liked your teaching methods,"  
"Cool," Ranma said.  
She smirked, "I must say, you have an excellent eye for business,"  
"Oh?" Ranma smirked.  
"I didn't notice at first, but after about a week, it seems like you planned it that way, to draw-in only female students," she smirked, "That way, when word spread around about how many females trained at your school, male students would be trying to join up,"  
Ranma gave a meek smile, "Oh, that. Well, you're right. I did do that,"  
"I am a business woman, afterall," the smiled, "Did you come up with that scheme on your own? It's actually rather ingenious,"  
Ranma smiled, "Yep. All on my own,"

Ranma whistled as he looked up at the mansion as Mrs. Hyusa pulled up.  
"Wow, that's a nice place you got here," Ranma said, climbing out of the car.  
"Thanks," she smiled.  
"Maybe your husband should watch out," Ranma teased, "I'm tempted to seduce you and manipulate you into divorcing your husband so I can move into a place like this indefinitely,"  
Mrs. Hyusa blushed, "R-Ranma, I'm a married woman. A happily married woman, with a daughter,"  
Ranma chuckled, "I was just joking,"  
She cleared her throat, "Please, follow me,"  
Ranma followed her to the mansion through the front entrance. When he did, he was once again impressed with what he saw. The place was beautifully furnished with furniture there that looked like it would cost more than the home he lived in before. He noticed that it had marble stairways leading to the second floor with a red carpet on it. There was a magnificent fireplace on one side of the room, and a grand piano on the other side.  
"Holy shit! This place is awesome," Ranma looked around in amazement.  
"I appreciate it if you not swear," Mrs. Hyusa said patiently but in a stern voice. "Oh, sorry," Ranma said, "I didn't mean it. I guess I got a bit caught up in what I was seeing,"  
A young girl emerged from the den, a room branched off from the hallway where Ranma and Mrs. Hyusa was standing.  
"Mom? Is that you?" a pretty girl of sixteen asked, "Welcome back, mom,"  
Ranma didn't need a second to realize that the young girl that emerged from the den was the daughter. She was very pretty and resembled her beautiful mother to a very good degree.  
"Shori, this is Ranma," her mother said, gesturing.  
Shori blushed a deep shade of red as she nervously bow, "Um, n-nice to meet you,"  
"Ranma, this is my daughter, Shori," the woman smiled.  
Bowing politely, Ranma said,  
"Hi, Shori, it's nice to meetcha,"

new stuff 11/9

Ranma looked around the dojo. After his brief introduction to Shori, he had been shown his room. After dropping off a small bag of clothes he had packed earlier, Mrs. Hyusa went about giving Ranma a tour of the large mansion.  
During the tour, Ranma was introduced to several staff members that lived in the house as well, the chef, a couple of maids, and a butler. They were introduced to one another where he politely greeted them before resuming the tour of the house with Mrs. Hyusa.  
Before long, he found himself in the dojo located at the back of the mansion.  
"This is a nice dojo," Ranma stated, "When'd your husband have this built?"  
"Very recently," Mrs. Hyusa answered, "He plans on retiring from the corporate world soon and become a sensei much like yourself,"  
Ranma smirked, "He's competition, huh? Maybe I should burn this dojo down before he can get it up and running and stealing away competition from my dojo,"  
Mrs. Hyusa laughed.  
"This a really nice dojo," Ranma looked around, "It's actually better than the dojo I teach at,"  
"It's a newly built dojo," she answered, "Not a single class has been taught here before. This dojo looks nice simply because it's new,"  
Ranma shrugged, "I guess y've gotta point,"  
"Honey, where are you?" came a voice, "I can't find my pen, the one I use to writing checks"  
"I'm in the dojo," Mrs. Hyusa called out. She smiled at Ranma, "That's my husband. It seems like he's back from work,"  
After a minute, a man entered the dojo. Upon a his first glance, he could easily tell that he was Shori's father, Shori possessing several characteristics as him.  
"Oh, we have a guest," the man said.  
"Honey, this is Ranma," she said, "Ranma, this is my husband,"  
"Nice t'meetcha," Ranma bowed.  
"How do you do?" the man liked Ranma's politeness, "Are you a friend of Shori's from school? You looked around the same age as her. How old are you, sixteen?"  
"Not quite," his wife said, "This young boy here is the sensei at the school I attend. Yes, he's the same age as Shori,"  
The man's eyebrows perked, "Oh really? So you're the young man my wife seems to have mentioned. She spoke a lot about you over the past couple of weeks since she joined your school. You seem a bit young to be a sensei,"  
Ranma smirked, "Don't judge a book by its cover. I'm a lot better than people give me credit for. I guess it's because I look young that throws people off,"  
The man smiled, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to misjudge you like that. Where are my manners? It's nice to meet you. So, what brings you here?"  
"He's going to be staying with us for a few days," his wife stated.  
The husband seemed surprised to hear that.  
"Come again?"

Ranma was wandering the house, wondering what he should do to pass the time, when he heard some beautiful music emanating from the livingroom. He had been on his way there to watch some television, Mrs. Hyusa having told him to make himself at home.  
He paused to listen to the song. Within an instant, he recognized it. It was Pachelbel's Canon and it was being played on a piano. He recognized that song fairly easily, recalling it from a past experience.  
"This is a nice song," Ranma recalled commenting on a song that was being played during a Friday Dinner on his world a while ago.  
"That's Pachelbel's Canon," Misato said, "It's a very popular song that's played at weddings a lot. For instance, if you asked me to marry you this second, I'll say yes. And when we have our wedding, it won't be uncommon to hear this song being played,"  
"Gee, can you be any more subtle about letting Ranma know that you want him to marry you?" one of the girls said, to which everyone laughed.  
The song he heard made him feel a sense of nostalgia, of the happy life he used to have, enjoying the company of friends.  
He snuck toward the livingroom, not wanting to make any noise. He had no idea who was playing it, but he knew it was the genuine thing, that someone was playing it on the piano. He didn't want to make any noise that would startle the person and cause him or her to stop playing.  
Glancing into the livingroom, he caught sight of the daughter as she sat in front of a grand piano. Her back was toward him so she did not see him. She continued playing skillfully, as if she had known how to play the piano all her life.  
He leaned against the entranceway and closed his eyes, listening to the soothing melody. Man, that's such a pretty song, Ranma thought, continuing to listen. Man, that's so cool, to be able to produce a song that sounds like that from hitting a few keys on the piano in the right sequence. Man, I wonder how hard it would be for me to learn to play the piano. I'm going to be here for a few months. It'd be nice to bring back with me home something I can remember from this world. When Shori finished playing, Ranma couldn't help but clap in admiration.  
Startled, Shori whirled around, surprised that someone had been listening to her.  
"That was beautiful," Ranma said.  
Shori said nothing, a nervous look on her face. Ranma noticed a look on her face as if she was contemplating on whether or not she should quickly run out of the room in embarrassment.  
She really is shy, Ranma noticed. But that should be no problem. I'm used to dealing with shy people.  
"You play very well," he asked.  
"Um, thanks," she said in a mouse-like voice.  
"I heard that song before," he continued on, "That's the, what, Taco Bell Canon?"  
Shori giggled slightly, "Um, it's Pachelbel,"  
Ranma said, "Oh. What did I say?"  
"Taco Bell," she answered. "I hear that song at a lotta places," he said, "I guess it's really popular, huh? You've been playing piano for long? Cause you're really good,"  
"It's a very popular classic piece," Shori stated, "Yes, I've been playing piano for most of my life,"  
Ranma said, "Well, at least now I know the song's name. I betcha if I hear the song enough times, it'd probably become one of my favorite songs. It's really nice,"  
"The Canon is my favorite song," she said, a bit curious as to why she was talking to Ranma in the first place. It wasn't as if she was any good at talking to boys.  
"You think someone like I can learn?" he asked.  
"Well, anyone can learn," she said, "What, you play piano?"  
Ranma shook his head, "Nope. Never played it before. However, I'm very good with emulation. If I watch you play for a bit, I can probably emulate you,"  
That was one of Ranma's key qualities, to be able to emulate things very quickly. Over the years, he had gotten better and better at emulating things, perhaps because of his ability to remember things really well. Of course, he didn't learn to remember things real well until he learned to associate everything with martial arts.  
"If you don't mind, perhaps you can teach me," he said.  
"T-teach you?" Shori became very nervous, "Um, n-no. I can't,"  
"Oh," Ranma said, realizing that perhaps he pushed to hard too quickly, "I guess if you don't wanna teach me, I understand. Afterall, considering I never played piano before, I'd probably drive you up the wall,"  
Shori said nothing. She didn't want to teach because she didn't like the thought of someone watching her as she went about teaching. Ranma picked up on this. Oh, now I get it, Ranma thought. She's shy because she's self conscious of herself for some reason. She's probably not a shy person if you get to know her or if she gets to know you, but it's the initial first impression that makes her shy. I wonder what's up with that. Does she get picked on in school or something that seems to make her self conscious about herself?  
"Is it okay if I watch some television?" Ranma jerked a thumb toward the large television located in one corner of the room.  
"Um, not at all," she said. It wasn't as if she was going to continue playing piano anyway now that she was aware that Ranma could listen to her play.  
Ranma headed over toward the couch and sat down. He went about looking for the remote control, Shori watching him do this all the while.  
"Your mom said that I should make myself at home and I'm doing just that," Ranma smiled, "I usually watch television,"  
After a short bit of searching, Ranma found the remote on the small table located next to the couch. Turning the television on, he proceeded to channel surf.  
As he went about channel surfing, the doorbell rang.  
Ranma got up to get the door but Shori had already left the livingroom to get it herself. He remained on the couch as he watched her. He couldn't help but smirk. This was because he was realized that she wasn't some kind spoiled brat that felt it was a butler's job to answer the door or such. He wondered if this was how it was like for the whole family.  
Sitting on his couch, Ranma could hear the conversation from the front entrance even though he couldn't see what was happening. He could hear the voice of two girls as they spoke to Shori. Oddly enough, he noticed how Shori seemed very talkative while talking to her two friends about nothing in general, leading Ranma to realize that his observation about her was correct, that she really wasn't that shy a person provided she knew who the person was. Of course, he assumed he knew Shori knew those two girls.  
As he listened, he found out that the two girls were there to study for the Math test that they were going to have tomorrow and that they were all in the same class with Shori.  
He shrugged as he realized he was doing something wrong by eavesdropping. It was none of his business anyway. He was just a guest here for a few days and would be leaving before long.  
"Um," came Shori's voice from the entranceway to the livingroom.  
Ranma turned around on the couch to face Shori, "Hm?"  
His gaze rested on Shori as she nervously stood by the entranceway. There were two girls around the same age as her standing to either side of her. "Um, I'd like to introduce to you my two friends," Shori said, gesturing, "This is Reia and this is Akemi. They're my friends and are my classmates,"  
"Hi," Ranma said, getting up off the couch to bow politely to them, "How're you doing? I'm Ranma,"  
"Um, hi," both Akemi and Reia said in unison, this surprised look on their face. They had both visited Shori to study only to find out that there was this very handsome boy around their age sitting in Shori's livingroom.  
Ranma could tell both girls seemed curious about who he was. He also noticed both girls look at Shori in confusion. "He's my mom's sensei," Shori said to her friends, "He needed a place to stay so he'll be staying with us for a few days,"  
"Really?" both girls shouted in surprise.  
"You're a sensei? Like in a martial arts sensei?" the girl named Akemi asked. She and Reia were aware of Mrs. Hyusa taking martial arts lessons. Both girls were so close to Shori's family that Shori's parents basically considered them two extra daughters. Ranma nodded, "Yeah. I know, I look young, but really, I'm a sensei. I've been teaching Shori's mom for a couple of weeks so far,"  
"Wow, you must be really good," Reia said.  
"I'm okay," Ranma shrugged, smiling slightly.  
Shori turned around and headed out of the room, "C'mon, guys, we have to start studying for the test tomorrow,"  
"Well, it was nice meeting you, Ranma," Akemi smiled.  
"Same here," Reia said.  
"Likewise," Ranma smiled, "Oh, just curious, what subject do you three hafta study for?"  
Shori asked, "Math, why?"  
"Math, huh? I'm good at that subject. Y'girls want any help?"

new stuff 11/10

"So, you're going to be living with Shori for a few days, huh?" Akemi asked.  
"I'm going to be living in this house for a few days," Ranma corrected, "So, yeah, I guess I will be living with Shori for a few days,"  
Ranma and the three girls were sitting around a table in front in the livingroom, about to begin studying. However, before they started, they felt like it was a good time to ask Ranma some questions and find out who he was.  
"How did this come about?" Reia asked.  
"I moved out," Ranma said, "I wanted a change in scenery,"  
"You plan on living on your own?" Reia asked, surprised, "But you're young, around our age. What about school?"  
Ranma said, "I don't go to school. I dropped out,"  
He said that comment in a way that neither of the girls knew how to react. He said he dropped out of school as if he was neither ashamed nor proud of it, as if matter-of-factly. "Dropped out of school?" all three girls said.  
"Whatever for?" Shori asked, "What about an education?"  
"I'll be fine," Ranma answered, "I'm not cut out for school,"  
All three girls looked at one another, not really knowing how to comment on that.  
"Besides, maybe I'll marry Shori," Ranma teased, "She's loaded. I probably won't hafta worry about money in that case,"  
Akemi's and Reia's eyes widened in surprise as Ranma chuckled at his own joke.  
He turned toward Shori to tell her that he was just kidding around. When he looked at her and saw that she looked on the brink of tears, he suddenly realized he had done something really really wrong. It seemed like Shori didn't respond to his joking manner in much the same was as other girls did.  
Without saying a word, Shori got up from where she saw sitting and ran out of the room.  
"What the?" Ranma said. He looked toward Shori's two friends, "Um, did I do that? I didn't mean it,"  
"Way to go," Akemi got up from her seat to chase after Shori.  
"What did I do?" Ranma asked Reia as she was getting out of her seat again.  
"Shori gets picked on a lot in school because, well, her family is well off," Reia said, giving Ranma an apologetic glance, "I'm sure you meant well with that comment, but you just happened to joke about a very sensitive subject with her,"  
He watched as Reia excused herself and headed out of the room.  
Ranma, still sitting there, sighed.  
"Man, me and my big mouth,"  
Ranma took a deep breath, feeling nervous about what was in store for him as he knocked the closed door to Shori's room. Her room was located several doors down from the large hallway from where his room was. He didn't exactly know whether or not it was Shori's room but had a funny feeling it was. This was because there was a hand-made sign on the door that spelled 'Shori' hanging on it.  
As he stood in front of the door, he could hear conversations from within the room. Although he had no real idea what kind of people Akemi and Reia were, he seemed comforted that they seemed to be on his side.  
"I'm sure he didn't mean it," Akemi said.  
"I think he was just trying to tease you to get a rise out of you," Reia added.  
"That's what I believe," Akemi said, "You seemed all stiff and nervous in the livingroom. I think he was doing it just to lighten the mood,"  
Ranma smirked. It seemed like Ranma wasn't the only person that had noticed it. It made him realize that Shori's friends seemed to know Shori so well that even his sense of observation couldn't match. "But why did he have to tease me about that?" he heard Shori's soft voice, a sad tone to it.  
"I'm sure he's not teasing you to be mean," Akemi stated, "Not like all those idiots at school do. There's a difference between someone teasing you to try and make you laugh, and people lampooning you to make you feel bad,"  
"I know, I know," Shori said.  
Ranma decided it was best that he be a man and deal with his screw-up on his own. Although he was pretty sure Reia and Akemi would be able to douse the flames he had accidentally set, he didn't want it that way. A confrontational person at heart, he didn't want anyone doing the dirty work for him.  
He knocked on the door.  
"Um, come in," he heard Shori's voice.  
Ranma opened the door but didn't enter. Looking in, he saw Shori sitting on the corner hugging a large pillow as if for comfort. It made him wonder if that was her favorite pillow. Reia and Akemi were sitting on by the edge of the bed.  
The room became filled with tension when they realized that it was Ranma.  
"What do you want?" Reia asked, her voice a bit acidic.  
Ouch, Ranma thought. It seems like I thought wrong. Reia doesn't seem to be on my side. Then again, I don't blame her since I hurt her friend's feelings. He found it odd how Reia seemed to be contradicting herself. He thought she was on his side in explaining things to Shori and calming her down. But her reaction to his presence was not what he had figured.  
He cleared his throat, "Shori, I'm terribly sorry if I've upset you. I didn't mean it, really. I was just trying to make the atmosphere around the table a bit lighter but didn't realize it would've turned out that way,"  
There was a long moment of silence which made Ranma wonder if the girls were still expecting Ranma to continue on.  
"I'm not a dickhead," Ranma said, "Um, sorry, I didn't mean to curse. Anyway, I'm not some kinda jerk, at least I hope I'm not. Of course, after what just happened, I wouldn't be surprised if y'think otherwise. I had no intention of upsetting ya and that's the truth,"  
There was yet another moment of silence.  
"Shori gets picked on in school because she comes from a wealthy family," Akemi stated, "How would you feel if you were her?"  
'Probably take naked pictures of myself and send it to my male side' was probably something Ranma would say but he knew that now was not a time to be joking, that he needed to think carefully about what he said.  
"I'd be upset, too," Ranma said after a moment of deliberation. He tried to be an sincere as possible, "Look, I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt your feelings,"  
Akemi and Reia turned toward Shori. They knew their friend well enough and she was going to say after that heart-felt apology. "I-it's okay," she said, giving a small smile, "I know you didn't mean it. How were you to know, afterall. It's just that, well, I'm always teased about that in school and the last thing I wanted was to be reminded of what I go through at school at home,"  
"Just curious, how do they tease you?" Ranma felt angry toward these faceless schoolmates that ridicule her at school, "That is, if you don't mind my asking,"  
Shori said nothing, looking down toward her pillow.  
"Of course she minds," Reia came to her defense.  
"It's high school teasing," Akemi added, "The same kind of teasing people would get if they were overweight, or wore braces, or have anything else that makes them different from the other kids,"  
Ranma noticed how Akemi and Reia seemed to work together. They seemed to cover each other really well in terms of conversation, as if the both of them spoke much like one person.  
"There is a way to stop the teasing you receive," Ranma said.  
"How?" Shori interest piqued slightly.  
"Beat the crap out of 'em," Ranma said matter-of-factly.  
Akemi and Shori and Reia just stared at Ranma.  
"In case you haven't noticed, Shori's a girl," Reia said in annoyance, reaching out and squeezing one of Shori's breasts, "Haven't you noticed these?"  
"Reia!" Shori blushed in embarrassment.  
Ranma chuckled. He found it amusing how, even though he was no longer in the Tendo home, there were some amusing characters outside the circle of people he used to know back when he was young.  
"Just because you're a girl means nothing," Ranma said confidently, "If you want, I can train you in martial arts and teach you how to protect yourself,"  
Akemi said, "Shori has no interest in martial arts. Her father has tried teaching her many times but she never expressed interest in learning it,"  
Reia added, "Shori also plays piano and is really good at it. She could damage her hands,"  
"Guys, do you mind?" Shori asked, "I don't mind you speaking on my behalf when I'm not around or something, but I'm right here in the room with you,"  
Ranma asked, "You want me to teach you some stuff?"  
"Like what? Techniques?" Akemi asked.  
He shook his head, "No. About bullies,"  
"What, are you going to say something like bullies have a low self-esteem which is why they make fun of people, to make themselves feel better?" Reia asked curiously.  
"Or how they act all tough around people but they really aren't?" Akemi chimed in, "And how they would back off if you step up to them?"  
Ranma found himself a bit at a loss for words. Those things Reia and Akemi had mentioned were things he had planned on saying. This was a rather weird experience for him, being at a loss of words.  
"Well, yeah, I was about to mention that," Ranma said, scratching his head.  
"It didn't work," Shori said sadly, her gaze low as if in shame.  
"You tried?" Ranma asked.  
Reia said, "A while back. She approached the bullies and tried to make them stop teasing her. Because of that, they now tease her even more,"  
Ranma gritted his teeth. He asked, "Want me to deal with 'em?" He was sure that he could think of plenty of things to get whoever these bullies were to leave her alone. Although he didn't know Shori that well, he definitely felt empathy toward her. He believed no one should ever be picked on.  
"No," Shori said softly, "Just leave it be,"  
"And let them continue to tease you?" Ranma asked.  
Shori's face became sad.  
Ranma felt sad. He wanted to help Shori, but for some reason, it was as if she didn't want his help or was scared of it. He realized that it was a lost cause, to try and get her to deal with whoever these bullies were. Therefore, he would have to take matters into his own hands.  
Realizing that was best that he not stay on such a sensitive subject, Ranma said, "Look, I'm sure everything'll turn out fine,"  
"What makes you think that?" Shori asked.  
"Well, before long, those bullies will realize that they're assholes for making fun of a nice girl like you," Ranma said sincerely, "You shouldn't let the teasing get to you. Just ignore it and they'll stop. If it doesn't bother you, it'll start to bother them because they'll start feeling like idiots when they realize they're not getting any response from you. Before long, they'll stop,"  
Ranma realized that there was no real way to prevent him from swearing. It was in his nature. Sure, the girls might fight him a bit vulgar and offensive, but that was an aspect of him he probably could not change on a conscious level, at least not without a lot of effort.  
The girls stared at Ranma.  
"You really think so?" Shori asked.  
"I know," Ranma said, "I used to get picked on in school, too. I just ignore them and they eventually stop," "Is that why you dropped out? Because you couldn't handle being teased?" Akemi asked.  
Ranma nearly fell to the floor from the comment.  
"No!" Ranma said, "It had nothing to do with that,"  
"Then what?" Akemi asked, "What were you teased about?"  
"Um, the school branded me as a pervert," Ranma said, recalling the days when people had spotted him wearing women's clothing on many occasion around town and the school making fun of him about that. Of course, it had been during the time when he had a curse and people saw him usually after he had been forced to wear women's clothing while in his cursed form and accidentally getting splashed with warm water and reverting back to his male for.  
"For what?" Akemi asked, "Like in wearing women's clothing or something?"  
"N-no!" Ranma stammered, wondering how Akemi had guessed right.  
He cleared his throat.  
"Um, I was new to a school and I accidentally walked into the girls changing room," Ranma said glibly, "Because of that, the school thought I was some kinda peeping tom,"  
The girls said nothing.  
"Look, the point I'm getting at is that because of this, I used to get picked on," Ranma said, "I just ignored everyone. That's because I knew that I had made a simple mistake and that was that. After several days, it started bothering them when I didn't get bothered. Eventually, they stopped altogether,"  
Reia and Akemi looked at Shori, "Have you ever tried that, ignoring them?"  
"Yes, but it's really hard," Shori said.  
"Look, you're well off," Ranma said, "You come from a wealthy family, right?"  
"Well, yes," Shori said after a moment.  
"Bullies are teasing you about being wealthy," Ranma smirked, "Think about it. They're teasing you because you have money. Do you realize how stupid that seems, to make fun of someone because of something like that?"  
Shori asked, "I guess you do have a point,"  
"Look, okay, you don't wanna take martial arts and confront your bullies," Ranma said, "That's fine. There's other ways to deal with 'em, and that's to simply ignore them,"  
"But it's really hard to," Shori said.  
"Just think about how stupid it is that someone's making fun of you because you're wealthy," Ranma smiled, "If you really think about it, that's pretty pathetic of them,"  
Shori smiled slightly, "I guess you have a point. Now that I think about it, it is a bit funny,"  
Ranma smiled, "Good. That way, you can easily ignore the teasing. After a few days, they'll leave you alone,"  
"Are you sure?" Shori asked, skeptic.  
"Yeah," Ranma nodded, smirking, "It worked for me. And think about it, which one do you think has it harder to get people to stop teasing, me, someone that the school thinks is a peeping tom, or you, someone that comes from a wealthy family?"  
"You definitely have a point there," Shori smiled for the first time since Ranma had met her.  
He smiled back, happy to see Shori smiling.  
"Look, I guess we've discussed this long enough," Ranma said, "Anyway, I hope you forgive me about having upset you before,"  
"I forgive you," Shori said, "It's not your fault,"

Ranma ended up helping Shori, Akemi, and Reia with math.  
It turned out that Ranma had been allowed to watch television while the girls studied downstairs in the livingroom with him. Oddly enough, none of them seem bothered by having the television.  
Whenever they had problems with a certain math problem, they would ask Ranma without hesitation. They had come to ascertain that Ranma was extremely good with math, able to solve problems within seconds what would take them a good half hour to solve.  
The girls didn't ask Ranma all that many questions about math, all three of them pretty good with math to begin with. However, there were several very difficult problems that they asked Ranma about.  
"I'm tried," Akemi said late into the evening, "I think it's time we call it quits,"  
"I agree," Reia said, "I think if I study any more, all the stuff I learned at the beginning of the study session will just seep out of my brain to make room for the new stuff,"  
The girls got up and proceeded to pack their things.  
"Thanks, Ranma, you've been a big help," Akemi said.  
"Yeah, you really were," Reia said. Akemi and Reia and Shori accepted Ranma into their circle. After everything was cleared up with Ranma having upset Shori, they opened up to him without much problems. Although all three of them were slow to open up at first, after spending a few hours with him, the started getting used to him.  
Ranma watched as the girls went to the door and paused to say their goodbyes.  
"Whoa, hold up," Ranma said.  
"What is it?" Reia asked.  
"You girls are walking home?" Ranma asked, "Because if you are, I'll escort you two home. It's late out and you shouldn't be walking home alone,"  
Reia and Akemi looked at one another.  
"Um, we're flattered by your offer but there's no need," Akemi said, blushing slightly. That was awfully chivalrous of Ranma, to want to escort her and Reia home. "Even if you live really close, you two girls still shouldn't be walking around this late at night," Ranma added. He knew that crime rates were much lower in the past than from where he came from, MegaTokyo, that still didn't mean one shouldn't be cautious.  
Shori said, "It's okay. Our butler will drive them home. He always does,"  
"Oh," Ranma felt silly, "I didn't realize that,"  
"Thanks for the offer," Akemi smiled warmly, "Your offer won't go unnoticed,"  
Ranma said nothing, wondering what she meant by that. Did she mean it as in that of a rain check, where she would ask him to escort her home since he didn't escort her home this time around?  
The two girls both smiled at Ranma.  
"Well, it was nice meeting you, Ranma," Akemi smiled, "You're a swell guy,"  
"Thanks," Ranma said, "It was nice meeting you too,"  
"Take care, Ranma," Reia smiled warmly. It made Ranma realize that she no longer harbored any animosity toward him for hurting her friend's feelings. "You too," Ranma said, "I'm happy to have met you,"

Ranma entered the dojo late that night.  
Not really knowing what to do to pass some time before he felt tired enough to go to sleep, Ranma decided that he might as well practice some katas. Shori had retired to her bedroom, used to going to sleep at normal hour. It was nearing midnight around now.  
In the middle of the dojo, he did some stretching, getting ready to do some intense katas, hoping it would be enough to wear him down quickly.  
As Ranma went about doing some katas for a few minutes, he felt a presence enter the dojo. He turned around toward the entrance where he saw Mr. Hyusa standing there.  
"I noticed you and my daughter and her friends got along pretty well," Mr. Hyusa smiled.  
Ranma smiled, "Oh, hey, Mr. H,"  
Mr. Hyusa cleared his throat, "Please, don't call me that. I get enough of that from Akemi and Reia,"  
"Oh, sorry," Ranma said, giving him an apologetic smile.  
"Anyway, it seems like you and my daughter are getting along quite well," Mr. Hyusa said, "I was walking by the livingroom when I saw you and the three girls working studying together,"  
"Actually, I was helping them out," Ranma said, "There's no need for me to study,"  
Mr. Hyusa, "Because you already know the subject at hand?"  
Ranma laughed, "Not really. It's because I dropped outta school so I don't have tests and stuff to worry about,"  
This came as a surprise, "Y-you're a drop out?"  
"You say that like it's a bad thing," Ranma said, "But more or less, I am,"  
"Might I ask why?" Mr. Hyusa's expression seemed neutral, as if he wasn't judging Ranma on his actions.  
Ranma said, "I ain't cut out for school. I don't like people telling me things and my having to assume it's correct simply because they're the teacher and I'm the student,"  
"Oh?" Mr. Hyusa asked.  
"I would rather learn things on my own," Ranma said, "It's always been that way with me,"  
"Then what about history?" Mr. Hyusa asked, "It's not like you can learn about the past on your own,"  
Ranma laughed, "You'll be surprised. Heh, I kinda feel like I'm living through history right now,"  
"What do you mean?" he asked.  
"It's not important," Ranma said, "The point is is that school and I don't really match. That's all,"  
Mr. Hyusa smiled, "I admire your decision. I believe you. Some people aren't cut out for school,"  
Ranma smirked, "Lettme guess, you dropped out of school when you were young also, huh?"  
Mr. Hyusa said nothing. Ranma simply laughed. Oddly enough, Ranma wondered if Mr. Hyusa was the kind of person Ranma would eventually turn into had he grown up and basically started raising a family.  
"I noticed you were doing katas," Mr. Hyusa said, "I don't recognize any of the forms and such or even what art it's derived from,"  
"I'm not necessarily doing katas, per say," Ranma said, "I'm more along the lines of doing shadow boxing, except I'm not restricting myself to punches. I simply visualize an invisible opponent and how I would fight him,"  
"Seems interesting," Mr. Hyusa said, "Who do you visualize?"  
"My childhood rival," Ranma said, "A guy named Ryoga. A very strong. Very very very very strong. He's a lot stronger than I am, that's for sure,"  
"That's good," Mr. Hyusa said, "Visualizing that you're facing a strong opponent will make you become stronger to defeat him or her,"  
Ranma laughed loudly. He found it rather hilarious. Ryoga could butt heads with Ranma when Ranma had God-powers. Now Ranma was completely human and infinitesimally weaker compared to his God-version. Therefore, that meant he was also infinitesimally weaker than Ryoga. As to whether or not he could ever reach the a power level high enough to rival Ryoga, it was highly unlikely.  
"Rather than having to visualize an invisible opponent, how about having an opponent you can see?" Mr. Hyusa smiled, "How about we spar? It can help you get used to becoming stronger to fight against this Ryoga fellow on even ground,"  
"Spar?" Ranma asked, "You wanna spar me?"  
"Well, you are a sensei, are you not?" Mr. Hyusa asked, "I've been curious as to how well you know martial arts,"  
"I'm okay at it," Ranma answered, "It's just that I don't particularly care about sparring,"  
Mr. Hyusa smiled, "How about you make an exception this time around? I'm really interested in sparring against you, to see how well I can fair against someone as young as yourself. It'd be fun, to see how someone old fairs against someone young,"  
"You're not that old," Ranma said, "You're probably barely twice my age,"  
"I'll take that as a compliment," Mr. Hyusa said, "So how about it? How about a friendly sparring match?"  
Ranma scratched his head, "I dunno,"  
"Hey, I'm letting you live at my house for a while," Mr. Hyusa smirked, "I'm being hospitable to you so I figure you could at least return the favor by sparring me,"  
"Heh," Ranma grinned, "Your wife's letting me live at the house, not you,"  
Mr. Hyusa laughed, "You have a point there,"  
Ranma shrugged, "I guess sparring against you don't seem all that bad. Sure, why not?"  
Mr. Hyusa smiled.

Ranma grinned as he looked at Mr. Hyusa as he lay flat on his back in the middle of the dojo for the eighth time. They had only been sparring for around ten minutes and it was clear that Ranma was leaps and bounds more skillful a martial artist than Mr. Hyusa. "Still want to go on?" Ranma asked.  
Mr. Hyusa found himself at a loss of breath, "No, that's all. I've realized that I've underestimated you. For a boy of sixteen, you fight like you've been training for several decades,"  
You have no idea how true those words are, Ranma thought.  
He extended a hand and helped Mr. Hyusa to his feet.  
"I have no idea how you managed to shoulder throw me so easily," Mr. Hyusa dusted at his clothes.  
"It's a technique I developed on my own," Ranma grinned, "I call it the perfect shoulder throw. It's completely inescapable. Even if you can fly, I doubt you'll be able to escape it since by the time you realize you're being thrown, it's too late,"  
"That's one heck of a technique," the man said, "I'd love for you to show it to me one day,"  
"Sure," Ranma said. Mr. Hyusa said, "You skills are unlike anything I have ever seen. You're truly gifted in martial arts. I can't believe you were able to predict my moves so easily and counter them,"  
Ranma said, "I noticed right away you intended to play with me the moment you tried to grab at one of my punches, by using nothing but reversals. I simply let that happen and basically reversed your reversals,"  
"Had I known that you had caught on, I probably would've reversed your reversals," Mr. Hyusa smiled.  
"I would've reversed that as well," Ranma grinned.  
Mr. Hyusa laughed.

In the early morning the next day, Ranma was heading down the hallway, about to head out of the house for his morning jog when he bumped into Mrs. Hyusa. She was on her way out of the house, about to head out for work.  
"Good morning, Ranma," Mrs. Hyusa greeted Ranma warmly.  
"G'morning," Ranma smiled. He noticed Mrs. Hyusa looked very stunning in her business attire, "My, you're looking pretty this morning,"  
"Um, thank you," Mrs. Hyusa blushed slightly, caught off guard. Ranma spoke to her unlike a sixteen year old. "Do a quick turn," he said, "I wanna see you completely,"  
Oddly enough, despite being a very powerful woman in the business world, a woman that many respected and obeyed, she found herself doing a little turn where she stood as Ranma gazed at her and the outfit.  
This confused her because she had no idea why she was doing that in the first place. It was as if Ranma had a presence to him that made her feel like he had more power over her, despite the fact that he was younger than her and no where near as successful and lacked the education as her.  
"You look good," Ranma said truthfully, "You've got a nice body and that outfit really shows off your figure well,"  
Mrs. Hyusa cleared her throat, "Do you have any idea that the statement you just said to me is probably sexual harassment in the utmost way?"  
Ranma shrugged, "So?" She cleared her throat, wanting to change the subject, "So, you're on your way out?"  
Ranma nodded as he said, "Yeah, I was about to go jogging," "It seems you like to keep in shape," Mrs. Hyusa smiled.  
"Jogging is the only kinda exercise I do to keep in shape," Ranma said, "I like working out,"  
Mrs. Hyusa said, "Well, if you like, there's a gym located three blocks from here. I don't know if you were paying attention, but we actually passed by that gym while I was driving us back to the house yesterday,"  
Ranma nodded, "Yeah, I remember seeing it,"  
"The owner is a family friend," Mrs. Hyusa said, "If you ever wish to give that place a try, just mention either my husband or myself and they'll waive membership fees,"  
Ranma said, "Thanks for the offer, but I'm not too sure lifting weights is for me,"  
"Well, the offer still stands," she smiled.  
"Thanks," Ranma said.  
"Oh yeah, before I forget," she said, reaching into the pocket of her purse, producing a pair of keys, "Here's the key to the house. That way, you're free to come and go as you like,"  
Ranma took the keys and looked at it, "You're giving me the keys to your house? That's an awful lot of trust your giving me,"  
Mrs. Hyusa smirked, "There are house staff that lives here with us. I'm just giving you a set of keys so you can easily let yourself in an out without having to ring the doorbell and have them answer the door for you,"  
"Ah," Ranma said, "How about you? On your way to work? It's really early. Don't you sleep in or something?"  
"Yes, I'm on my way to work," she nodded, "I'm actually leaving a bit later than usual. My husband and I leave at roughly the same time, but today, my husband had already left for work,"  
"Ah," Ranma said, "Well, try not to go overboard with work. Life isn't about working. You can quickly burn yourself out,"  
Mrs. Hyusa smiled, "I know. But don't worry. I work to live, not live to work,"  
"That's good," Ranma said, "If you ever feel like you're getting stressed out with work, I can show you a good time,"  
Mrs. Hyusa gave Ranma an odd look. She wasn't sure if Ranma was hitting on her or not.  
Ranma nudged at her, "Heck, I can show you some things that will make you feel like you've died and gone to Heaven,"  
He was referring to his backrubs. He was confident that he knew how to give great backrubs. All the girls at home loved those and he was pretty sure Mrs. Hyusa would like it just as well.  
"Are you hitting on me?" Mrs. Hyusa asked.  
"Huh?" Ranma asked, "Hitting on you? What, you think I was hitting on you? You're a married woman,"  
"That's what I thought," she tried to collect herself.  
"Whoa, you thought I was hitting on you?" Ranma smirked. "Well, it's just that-" she tried to say.  
Ranma laughed as he slapped Mrs. Hyusa's butt, "You're pretty and funny. I like you,"  
She yelped in surprise, blushing a deep shade of red, watching as Ranma headed down the hallway and disappeared around the corner, laughing all the while. What was funny was that she had learned how to deal with having he butt slapped and how to counter it but forgot completely.  
She stood there, wondering what the heck just happened. After a moment, she realized the situation she was in.  
"Oh my, Ranma has a crush on me,"  
Ranma jogged through the streets that morning. Curious as to if he would bump into Akane while she was out for her morning jog, he decided to jog over to Nerima and jog around the usual route he and her jogged every morning.  
When he caught sight of Akane jogging along, he smiled happily and ran up to her from behind.  
He slapped her on the butt, "Hey, Akane,"  
"Eek!" she screamed, stiffening up when she felt a sharp but tiny bolt of pain shoot up her backside and throughout her body.  
"Ranma!" she screamed at him when she turned around and realized it was him.  
"Morning, Akane," Ranma smiled, "How's everything going?"  
"I don't appreciate you slapping my butt like that," Akane said coldly, "Don't think I'm going to let it slide next time,"  
"Really?" Ranma grinned. He made a slow but ostentatious attempt at slapping her butt.  
"Ranma!" she said, scooting back from Ranma, trying to keep her backside from being slapped a second time, a deep blush on her cheeks.  
Akane felt like she was totally off-guard with Ranma. He acted so different from anyone she knew that she had no idea how she was supposed to react to him. It also didn't help that he teased her not to get her angry, but to merely get her all riled up. She had no idea if that was a good thing or a bad thing.  
"Get away!" Akane said, trying not to laugh while trying to keep Ranma at bay. She had both hands out in front of her holding Ranma's head as he leaned forward and made exaggerated motions at trying to slap her backside.  
Oddly enough, Akane was no longer angry at Ranma for what happened last night, for him not having told her about moving out and into another student's house. When she found out Ranma had left that night, it made her feel a bit bad and not having made herself clear to him that she was upset at him.  
After a minute of teasing, Ranma decided to stop.  
"So, how's everything going?" he asked.  
"Um, okay," she said, "And how about you? Where are you staying?"  
"I'm staying at this huge house in the neighboring town," Ranma said.  
Akane asked, "What kind of place is it?"  
"A mansion," Ranma said, "That's the best way to describe it. The inside's got stuff like a marble staircase, a grand piano, lots of expensive looking furniture and a huge television. Heck, the guestroom where I'm staying at has its own private bathroom with a hot tub,"  
Akane said in a soft voice, "So it must be a great place, much better than our place, huh?"  
"Hell yeah," Ranma said truthfully.  
"Well, I'm sorry our house isn't quite up to your standards," Akane said angrily, crossing her arms in front of her chest, turning her attention away from him.  
Ranma asked, "Why are you getting angry at me? I was simply telling the truth, that that's one nice house. Even you'll agree if you saw it,"  
Akane said nothing.  
"I found out that Mrs. Hyusa, she's the president of a textile corporation or something or another," Ranma continued on, "And her husband, he's the CEO of Aido Airlines,"  
"She's married?" Akane asked. For some odd reason, she found that rather comforting, that the woman Ranma was staying with was married. It helped ease the sense of jealousy she was feeling toward her but would never care to admit.  
Ranma nodded, "Yeah. Her husband's a really nice guy. I kicked his ass though,"  
"What?" Akane asked, "What do you mean by that?"  
"He wanted to spar against me," Ranma said, "So we sparred. He lasted for almost ten minutes before he finally gave up. Frankly, I'm very surprised he was able to last that long,"  
Akane asked, "Wait, you sparred against him? I thought you didn't like sparring? How come you didn't spar against me?"  
"I don't like sparring," Ranma said, "Don't get me wrong. He just pointed out that he would like me to do him the favor of sparring against him since I will be staying at his house,"  
"But you were staying at our house," Akane stated, "So how come you didn't spar against me?"  
Ranma said, "Because I didn't want to. And no, it has nothing to do with the fact that you're some chick,"  
"Chick?" Akane narrowed her eyes toward him. "A girl," Ranma corrected himself, "Anyway, just because you're a girl, that's not the reason why I didn't spar against you. I simply didn't want to spar against you,"  
"Because you don't consider me a good opponent or something?" she asked.  
Ranma smirked, "Man, you really like putting words in my mouth, dontcha?"  
Akane said nothing.  
"I don't like sparring," Ranma said, "That's all. If I don't hafta spar, then I won't spar. I just sparred against him for the heck of it. I could've just have easily have declined his request to spar him. It's just that at that particular point in time, I decided on a whim,"  
Akane said nothing again.  
"It's kinda like with me dropping out and moving out," Ranma said, "It could've just as easily had been something entirely different. I do a lot of stuff on a whim. Y'need to understand that,"  
"Oh," she said.  
"Anyway, I met my, basically, benefactors and they seem like good people," he stated, "They work during the day,"  
"What do you plan on doing when they're not home?" she asked curiously. Ranma produced a set of keys, "Mrs. Hyusa gave me the keys to the house so I can let myself in and out whenever I want. However, because they're not home when they're work, I'm not gonna hang out at their house. Instead, I'll just hang around town and do something to occupy my time,"  
"Like what?" Akane asked, "Like get a part time job or something?"  
Ranma shrugged, "Maybe. Who knows? I'll think of something. I can keep myself occupied pretty easily. Maybe I'll teach other classes at your place, instead of just restricting myself to teaching that one class during the afternoon," "Really?" Akane said, "You mean you'll be hanging around our place?"  
"Who knows?" Ranma shrugged, "Maybe. Anyway, you wanna jog over to the place where I'm staying? I'll show you were the house is. It's really incredible and quite a sight to behold,"  
"Um, sure," Akane said a bit eagerly. She was curious as to where Ranma was staying. Ranma smiled.  
"Cool. Follow me,"

new stuff 11/11

Akane's eyes were wide when she saw how nice a place Ranma was staying.  
"Kicks ass, huh?" Ranma said proudly, as if he had anything to do with it.  
"It's very impressive," Akane said truthfully. She wondered how the Kuno estate compared to this. She knew that Kuno was considered very wealthy.  
Ranma said, "I'd show you the inside, but I don't think I should. Afterall, I'm a guest at their place and it wouldn't seem right,"  
"It's fine," Akane said, "But seeing the outside, if the inside looks half as good as the outside, it must be quite a sight to behold,"  
Ranma nodded, "Yeah, it's really nice on the inside. Say, do you think we should be getting back home now?"  
"It's okay," Akane said, looking at her watch, "We need to get back anyway. I have to get ready for class," "All right, let's head back," he said.  
Akane smiled, glad that Ranma would be jogging back with her. Together, they headed off, jogging in the direction from which they came. They didn't get far before something stopped them.  
"Ranma?" came a voice from across the street.  
Ranma looked around and found himself pleasantly surprised to see Reia and Akemi heading in the direction of Shori's place. It made him realize that they were on their way to her place to meet up with her and walk to school together.  
"Who's that?" Akane asked Ranma, wondering who that pretty girl was that called out Ranma's name, "It seems that girl knows your name,"  
"That's Reia and that's Akemi," Ranma answered, "They're friends of Shori,"  
"Shori?" Akane asked.  
"The daughter," Ranma said, "She's the same age as you,"  
"Y-you never told me they had a daughter," Akane said, feeling a tinge of anger.  
Ranma shrugged, "Well, now you know. Anyway, let's go say hi to her friends. I'll introduce you,"  
Akane found herself being half dragged across the street to where Reia and Akemi were.  
"Good morning, Ranma," Reia said.  
"Morning, Ranma," Akemi said.  
"Hey girls," Ranma smiled, "It's a bit early. On your way to Shori's?"  
"Yeah," Akemi nodded, "We were on our way to her place to do study a bit more before we head off to school. Our math test is during first period,"  
"Well, you girls seem to have picked up what I showed you really well," Ranma smiled, "I'm sure you'll do fine,"  
"Thanks," both girls smiled.  
Akane cleared her throat, wanting to make her presence known. She couldn't help but feel angry at Ranma, as if he had suddenly forgotten about her now that he was busy conversing with those two pretty girls.  
"Oh, Akane, I'd like to introduce you to Akemi and Reia," Ranma gestured, "Akemi. Reia. This is Akane,"  
"How do you do?" both girls bowed, regarding Akane with a critical eye.  
"It's nice to meet you," she said, regarding both girls with a critical eye as well.  
Akemi cut to the chase and asked, "Are you two a couple? Are you Ranma's girlfriend?"  
"Um, er," Akane didn't know what to say. She gazed toward Ranma, wondering what he was going to say.  
Ranma shook his head, "No, she isn't my girlfriend. We're good friends,"  
Akane said nothing. There was nothing to say. "Look, I'd love to stay and chat, but Akane's doesn't live that close to here," Ranma said, "I'm going to go with her and jog with her home,"  
"Don't see me home on my account," Akane said angrily, defensively.  
"Huh?" Ranma asked.  
"If you want to stay here and chat with your two friends, don't let me stop you," Akane said, "I know where I am. It's not like I need someone to jog home with me,"  
Ranma asked, "What, you don't want me jogging with you back to your place?"  
Akane hesitated for a moment. She did want Ranma to go with her but she didn't want to have to say so right in front of those two girls, whoever they were. She couldn't help but feel angry at Ranma for putting her in such a predicament.  
She turned around and began jogging home, "If you want to jog with me, be my guest, but don't let me be to reason keeping you from talking to your two new friends,"  
Ranma's visage became a bit cold as he caught on to what Akane was doing. She was angry for some reason and was taking it out with him. He knew had done nothing wrong but Akane's sudden annoyance with him made him think otherwise.  
"All right," Ranma said, "I'll see you later,"  
"W-what?" Akane said, stopping to turn around. She had been pretty sure Ranma would go with her.  
Ranma felt a bit angry at Akane. He felt the urge to tell her off that he didn't like getting crap from her for no reason, that there should be absolutely no reason for her to be angry at him for talking to Reia or Akemi or telling the truth about him and her being nothing more than friends. However, he did nothing because he really did care for her, cared enough that he didn't want to embarrass her in front of strangers.  
"Well, I figure you don't want me to jog you home," Ranma said.  
What he really wanted to tell her was that he didn't want to play mind games and try and guess what she wanted him to do. He liked the direct approach. If she wanted him to come with her, then she should speak up instead of trying to make him feel guilty and end up going with her.  
"Um, er," Akane paused. Ranma noticed Akane's hesitation and felt it was a good enough answer from her.  
He turned toward the Reia and Akemi.  
"I'll see you guys around," Ranma said, "I'm gonna go jog with Akane back to her place,"  
"Okay," they both said.  
He turned around and began jogging away from them, passing by Akane as she basically stared blankly at him. When he noticed he was jogging alone, that she wasn't following him, he stopped to look at her.  
"Well, c'mon. Let's go or you're gonna end up being late getting home and heading off to school,"  
"Um, okay," Akane said before she followed after Ranma.  
"How come you're angry at me?"  
"I'm not angry at you," Akane said coldly as she continued jogging along.  
Ranma laughed, "Sure you're not. I'm not stupid. I know you're jealous,"  
Akane snorted, "I have no idea what you're talking about,"  
Ranma found himself getting angry, "Jeez, will you quit doing that? I hate this shit,"  
"Doing what?" Akane stopped, looking at him in surprise.  
"This!" Ranma said loudly but not angrily, "The way you're acting. You're acting like some jealous girlfriend and, frankly, I'm sick of it,"  
Akane said nothing.  
"Look, I like you," Ranma said, "I like hanging out with you, but I see you as a good friend. However, recently, the way you've been acting have been driving me a bit nuts. You getting angry at me over something that, frankly, is none of your business, is driving me nuts and actually makes me not want to be friends with you,"  
Akane's jaw dropped at the shocking statement.  
"Tell me, what is bothering you," Ranma said.  
"N-nothing," Akane said.  
Ranma crossed his hands in front of his chest, not one bit convinced.  
Akane looked down at the ground nervously.  
"You ever hear of the phrase 'carpe diem'?" Ranma asked from out of the blue.  
Akane nodded, "Yeah. I means 'seize the day'. Why?"  
Ranma said, "Well, as the saying goes, you should take that saying to heart not let an opportunity slip by you by staying quiet about something,"  
"What do you mean?" she asked.  
"If something bothers you, you make it known instead of just silently say nothing, like exactly what you're doing now," Ranma said, "It'll make you feel a whole lot better over bottling everything up inside you where it basically festers and eats away at you,"  
Akane softly said, "So what do you expect from me?"  
"You tell me," Ranma said, "Lay everything on the line,"  
Akane hesitated.  
"Look, I know you like me more than a friend," Ranma said, "I'm not blind,"  
"I-I do not!" she said, blushing in embarrassment.  
Ranma sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He found this conversation very necessary but very awkward. He needed some way to get her to lay everything on the line. He wanted her to empty out all those bottled feelings so she could move on.  
"Fine, I'll make it easy for you," Ranma said, saying everything in a soft voice, "I know you like me, like me more than that of a friend. Unfortunately, that can never be the case. I only see you as a friend,"  
"Why?" Akane blurted out, wanting to ask that question for a long long time.  
Ranma was silent for a moment.  
"Because, I moved on," Ranma said, not looking directly at Akane.  
"Moved on?" Akane asked, "What do you mean by that?"  
"I loved you many decades ago,"

"I'm not some sixteen year old kid," Ranma said. He and Akane were walking around town. The two of them decided to use the time it took to walk home as time to talk about Ranma and who he was. Ranma had decided now was a good time to tell her about who he was. "Then who or what are you?" Akane seemed skeptic. "I'm the future representation of the Ranma you were supposed to meet," Ranma said, "I'm well over a hundred years old. I've come from an alternate world. I used to know the version of you from that world,"  
Akane said, "Get outta here,"  
"I told you you wouldn't believe me," Ranma shrugged, "Now you know why I didn't particularly care to tell you about myself in the first place,"  
Akane said nothing.  
"Okay, if you don't believe me maybe I can tell you something about yourself that I'm not supposed to know," Ranma said, "You can't swim. You've always dreamed of playing the role of Juliet in a Romeo and Juliet play. You've once gotten lost in a place called, what was that named? Ryugenzawa? I think that's the name. It's been decades and I don't remember everything like it was yesterday,"  
Akane had this surprised look on her face, "H-how did you know all that?"  
"Because, I know you," Ranma said, "I lived with you for a couple of years in that alternate world. You are exactly like the girl I remembered from that world,"  
Akane said nothing.  
"I lived this life before," Ranma said, "You know what's happening around us? I lived through this before when I was young many decades ago. Basically, what I'm getting at is that, right now, I'm reliving my childhood but with the mind of an adult even though I'm in the body of a teenager,"  
"This is crazy," Akane said, "So what does that mean, that you've told me this before?"  
Ranma said, "Actually, no. This world is unfolding differently from the world I remember. For instance, the mere fact that I'm not cursed changed a lot of things for me,"  
"Cursed?" she asked.  
"It's a long story," Ranma said with a sigh, "It's so long that it would probably take a couple of days for you to understand it, provided you actually keep an open mind and choose to believe it. Afterall, what I tell you will easily indicate that fact is stranger than fiction,"  
Akane said nothing.  
"That's one of the reasons why I moved out and dropped outta school," Ranma said, "Because I kinda know what's to come and, frankly, don't wanna deal with it,"  
"Like what?" she asked, "Like what's to come? How much have you gone through here that you've already been through before?"  
"Everything, more or less," Ranma said, "When I was young, I ended up getting engaged to you in the exact same fashion as how we got engaged, by the meddling of our parents. I've encountered Kuno, and Ryoga in similar fashion. From my point of view, the timeline is unfolding in the exact same fashion as what I went through,"  
"If that's the case, what's going to happen next?" Akane asked, still skeptic.  
Ranma shrugged, "I dunno. I can't remember that well. Things happened to me many decades ago so I'm starting to forget,"  
He paused to scratch his head, deep in thought.  
"Hm, I do remember major events," Ranma said, "But I don't remember exactly in what order they occur. Shampoo's great-grand mother will eventually show up. And so will a girl named Ukyo Kuonji. And so will a guy named Mousse. And so will this little pervert named Happousai. Unfortunately, I don't exactly remember in what order those things happen,"  
"Cologne? Ukyo? Mousse? Happousai?" Akane asked, confused, "Who are they?"  
"They're people I encountered during my childhood," Ranma said, "They just popped up back when I was young. Therefore, I have reasons to believe that they will be popping up here as well,"  
"What, does that mean you're currently reliving your childhood?" Akane asked.  
"Yes," Ranma said, "Weren't you listening to what I've been saying. I've been reliving my childhood since before I showed up here, since the time I was on my training trip in China,"  
Akane said nothing.  
"Because I know of the events to come, I'm trying to avoid them," Ranma stated, "All of my encounters with those people I mentioned led to further complications in my life, complications I don't particularly care for or want,"  
He wasn't too sure he meant that entirely. He knew he wouldn't mind seeing Ukyo again. And of course, he needed to see Happousai as well, as much as he didn't really want to.  
"So how much has changed?" Akane asked, "Since you know about what's to come that is?"  
"Very little," Ranma said sadly, "Even though a large aspect of myself has been changed from when I was young, the fact that I'm no longer cursed, things still seemed to unfold in a similar fashion as what I remember. Kuno's still an idiot and keeps attacking me. Shampoo's still chasing after me. Although some things are slightly different, like my teaching classes now where I didn't when I was young, everything more or less feels like the same to me,"  
"You think moving out and dropping out of school might solve this?" Akane asked.  
Ranma shrugged, "Dunno. It's only been one day. Maybe it might be enough that things will change based on my actions,"  
Akane asked, "You said something about, um,"  
"About how I loved you many decades ago?" Ranma smirked, "Well, that was true. I fell in love with you, the version of you from my past, a long long time ago. However, times changed for me and I moved on,"  
"Why? What, did I, um, did my other self do something to hurt you?" Akane asked, hoping that that was not the case.  
Ranma said, "Not quite,"  
"Then what?" she asked.  
"You died,"

"Remember, I'm a full grown adult," Ranma said, "You need to understand that. Just because I look sixteen, that doesn't mean I think like one. That's one of the reasons why I act the way I do, because I don't think like the kinda boys you know from class and such,"  
Ranma had spent a good portion of the morning explaining things to Akane. Because Ranma had so much to say, Akane never made it home in time to get to school in time. Instead, she and Ranma just walked around the block until she was satisfied with having heard all that she had heard.  
"I-I understand," Akane said sadly, "That can explain how you know so much stuff in class,"  
"Right, because I've already learned that stuff," he said.  
"But how can you remember what you learned in school really well while not remembering things like what is supposed to happen?" Akane scratched her head.  
Ranma said, "That's because I learned that stuff well afterwards. I didn't learn that stuff in school. I learned after I grew up. I remember it really well because I've come up with a way of remembering things by associating everything with martial arts. Basically, after I figured out how to remember things, that's when I started remembering things better. By then, many decades had passed since what happened to be during my childhood so it's only natural that I begin forgetting about it. Afterall, that stuff took place well before I learned how to associated it with martial arts and remember it better,"  
"Oh, I guess you have a point," Akane agreed.  
"Good," Ranma smiled, "I'm glad we made things cleared up. Remember, I only see you as a friend. I have no intention of staying on this world for long. I'm not taking you with me. If you want to develop feelings for me outside that of just friendship, go ahead, but it's going to hit you really hard when I leave and never come back,"  
Akane said nothing.  
"I'll be saddened to leave you as well, but hey, life goes on," Ranma said, "I don't belong on this world which I why I will be leaving really soon,"  
"How come you didn't leave sooner?" Akane asked curiously, "That way, you could've bypassed dealing with all of this. You wouldn't have to say goodbye to all the people you made friends with,"  
Ranma smiled, "Because, I would rather live with the sadness of leaving someone and having met that someone than to avoid it all together. It's kinda like the saying 'It's better to have loved and lost than to never've loved at all'. It's kinda like that,"  
Oddly enough, Ranma didn't believe in that. He would much rather never having loved at all than to have loved and lost. This is because, as a person that truly loved someone, he knew how painful it was to have that empty feeling one would get from losing the love of their life. IF he never made a space for someone in his heart, he would never have had that empty feeling that was left behind when he lost his love.  
"So, what about the people you're going to hurt by leaving?" Akane asked, "If you know it's going to be painful for me to see you leave, maybe it would've been better that we've never met at all,"  
Ranma smirked, "Well, it's kinda too late now for me to do anything about it, huh? Besides, I truly believe I made a good enough positive impact on people's lives here that people are better off having met me than to never've met me,"  
Akane said nothing. If she thought about it, she would rather it that way anyway. After having met Ranma, she knew she would much rather have met Ranma and be saddened by his inevitable departure than to never have met him at all.  
"Look, all that I've told you, everything from when I was human, and then an Angel, and then God, and now back to human, it's all true," Ranma said, "It's up to you on whether or not y'wanna believe my words. Frankly, it doesn't really matter. All you really need to know is that I'm gonna be leaving before long so it's best not to get too attached to me,"  
"Um, I understand," Akane said sadly.

Ranma felt pretty good about himself as he walked down the street that afternoon. It felt like a terrific burden had been lifted off his shoulders. He felt like there was no real need to tell Akane the truth about himself, that it was better that way, but realized it was much better to let her know. This was because he really didn't like keeping secrets from Akane. He had gotten so used to getting along with her that he felt bad that he was keeping such a huge secret from her. Afterall, if he saw her as a very good friend, shouldn't that mean he should be able to tell her anything?  
Hopefully, she'll just let me be and move on, Ranma thought to himself. Heck, maybe she might take a liking to Ryoga. He's not that bad of a guy, afterall. He's just shy. Now, all I need to do is find that guy and let him know that he should seize the opportunity. I'm sure word's gonna get out that Akane and I aren't a couple anymore so guys are gonna go after her again. If she decides to choose someone before Ryoga musters the courage to tell her he likes her, Ryoga's shit outta luck.  
"Hey," came a voice.  
Ranma turned around toward the voice. He found himself looking toward a police officer on a bike. The sight, for some reason, made him snicker.  
"Yeah?" Ranma asked.  
"Shouldn't you be in school?" the man asked.  
"Nope," Ranma replied.  
"You look like a delinquent," the man stated, "You must be cutting class,"  
Ranma grinned, "Hey, shouldn't you be held hostage in that police station I heard about some dude taking complete control of on the television not too long ago?"  
The police officer said nothing as Ranma burst out laughing. He found it very amusing how people could dish verbal abuse but couldn't seem to take it. Ranma, on the other hand, could dish out as good as he received.  
"Boy, that must be embarrassing," Ranma persisted, still smirking, "I mean really, having a police station getting taken hostage seems about as impossible as can be, but obviously, someone managed to succeed. Is it because the guy was really good or you guys were really incompetent?"  
"Move along," the officer said, "Go on to class before you get me angry,"  
Ranma laughed as he walked away from the man, the man narrowing his eyes at Ranma's back as he eventually disappeared around the corner.  
As he walked around the corner, he bumped into none other than Mrs. Hyusa. Because Ranma hadn't been paying much attention, busy with finding amusement at that encounter with the policeman, he ended up bumping right into her and causing her to lose her balance.  
Event though he had been distracted, he had reacted in time to catch her before she fell to the ground, reaching out and securing one hand around the small of her back and another on the back of her head to prevent her from falling backwards. The result made it seem like Mrs. Hyusa was in the middle of a dip during a ballroom dance.  
"Oh, hey, what's up?" Ranma recognized Mrs. Hyusa first.  
"Ranma?" she asked, recognizing him a second later.  
Ranma gently brought Mrs. Hyusa back up to stand on her feet. She had a bit of a blush on her cheeks, "What are you doing here?"  
"Just wandering around," Ranma answered, "Trying to pass the time. Trying not to get arrested and thrown in jail. The same kinda things I do every day,"  
Mrs. Hyusa laughed. That was a rather amusing reply if she ever heard one. He was awfully witty, able to come up with amusing replies on the fly. Of course, little did she know that Ranma wasn't trying to be witty. He was merely answering truthfully.  
"How about you?" Ranma asked, "On your way to lunch?"  
"Actually, yes," she said.  
"Figured," Ranma said, "This is around the same time I met you that day. I guess I met you during your lunch break then,"  
"You're right," she nodded, "It is my lunch break. I usually eat at the same place all the time. Rather than have them deliver, I take enjoyment walking around and getting out of an office,"  
"Ah," Ranma said. He looked down toward Mrs. Hyusa's pumps, "Don't it hurt walking around in those pumps?"  
"Not entirely," she said, "You get used to them,"  
"I'll take your word for it," Ranma replied, "Ain't no way I'm trying those things out to find out myself,"  
She smiled, about to laugh.  
"Maybe you should take it off," Ranma said, "It'll probably help you out a bit,"  
"I'm used to it," she answered, "I'm fine,"  
Ranma stepped up close to her, making her a bit self-conscious because it felt like he was invading her personal space. He brought his face very close to her, moving a hand from the top of his head to her head.  
"Wow, those pumps give you quite a bit of height," Ranma said, "You're as tall as me. Heh, I guess, as the president, it good to have a tall stature. Height gives off the impression of power,"  
"You have a point," she concurred.  
Ranma's stomach rumble.  
"Oh yeah, I haven't eaten yet," he said to himself. He turned toward Mrs. Hyusa, "Where's this place you eat? I'll come eat with you,"  
Mrs. Hyusa was caught off-guard with the statement. With regular people, they usually asked if they could tag along. Ranma, on the other hand, acted like a born leader with no problems about telling someone what to do, even the president of a company.  
She found Ranma's personality oddly amusing, the way he constantly kept her on her toes.  
"There's a deli nearby," "Damn, I'm broke," Ranma checked his pockets.  
Mrs. Hyusa regarded Ranma, wondering how he would react. Would he ask her to lend him some money? That would seem rather odd. Ranma seemed like one of those masculine men that would not ask a woman for help if need be.  
"Hey, you're the president, you must have money," he said, "Can y'lend me some money?"  
"Um, okay," she said, totally not expecting him to just flat-out ask her like that.  
She reached into the small hand purse she carried and produced some money for Ranma to take.  
"Are you ever strapped for cash?" she asked.  
"No, not really," he said, "It's just that I ended up using all my money. There was this red cross charity box I passed by earlier and I gave all my money. I should've kept some of it for lunch,"  
Mrs. Hyusa smiled warmly, "You really surprise me, Ranma,"  
"Huh?" he asked.  
"I know what you're talking about," she said, "I passed by it a few minutes before I ended up bumping into you. You have a good heart,"  
Ranma smirked, "How about you? Did you drop any money off?"  
"Actually, yes, I did," she said, "I also donate to charity,"  
She couldn't help but feel glad that she did. That question would've really put her on the spot had she not. It was obvious that Ranma had no qualms about putting a person on the spot even if he didn't mean to do it intentionally. "Next time, when I get my pay, I'll make sure I save some for lunch," he said.  
Mrs. Hyusa, figuring that Ranma might like some extra income, asked, "Say, would you like to work for me?"  
"Huh?" he asked, "Me? Work for you? But you're a girl,"  
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, as if offended, "And I'm not what you call a girl. I'm a woman,"  
"I'm a guy," he said flatly, "I don't like the thought of working for a girl. Call me old-fashioned. I think men should rule the workplace,"  
"T-that's so sexist it's not even funny," Mrs. Hyusa found herself somewhat angry, "I can't believe you think like that, and even had the gall to say that without batting an eye,"  
"Besides," Ranma continued, "I'm a martial artist and am cut out for nothing else but teaching martial arts,"  
"But you have a very good business sense," she said, "And back to that part about you thinking men should rule the workplace,"  
Ranma said, "Just because I have a good business sense doesn't mean I want to do business stuff. I like teaching martial arts and that's all I ever plan on doing. And yes, I am sexist,"  
Mrs. Hyusa glared at Ranma for a moment before she decided it would've been best had she not asked in the first place. She cleared her throat, "So, what do you plan on getting?"  
"Something high in carbs," Ranma said, "I figure I'll go to the gym after this and need some energy,"  
"Oh, so you're going to join the gym?" she asked.  
Sparring against her husband made him realize that there's a huge gap between himself and Ryoga. Although he didn't have trouble defeating Mr. Hyusa at all, he did notice his body moved a bit sluggish compared to what he was used to, probably because he was now the body of a sixteen year old boy instead of that of a well-developed martial artist that had been training for decades. He needed to build up his body if he ever intended to go head-to-head against him. "Sure, why not?" he shrugged, "It can help pass some time,"  
Ranma entered the gym.  
He had eaten lunch with Mrs. Hyusa and escorted her back to work not too long ago.  
"Hi," he smiled, approaching a young woman working behind a counter, "How're y'doing?"  
"Hello," she smiled warmly at him, "I'm fine. And you?"  
"I'm fine," he said, "What's your name? I'm Ranma,"  
The girl said, "I'm Aisuke," "Nice t'meetcha, Aisuke," Ranma said, "Is the owner of this gym here?"  
"Yes, I'll go get him for you," the girl said, leaving Ranma alone so she could fetch the owner that was in his office in the back of the gym. Before long, a man approached Ranma.  
"How can I help you?" he asked.  
Ranma went about explaining his situation, about how he knew Mrs. Hyusa and that she told him to speak to the gym owner to have the membership fee waived. After a short conversation, Ranma found out that the gym owner was a really good friend of Mr. Hyusa, that they used to be train together under the same master many many years ago when they were young.  
"Don't worry about the membership fee," the man said, "Feel free to use the facility whenever ya like. I'll personally enter you into the database so no one behind the counter will ever bother you about fees and such,"  
"Thanks," Ranma smiled, "I appreciate it,"  
When the man left, Ranma started wandering out the gym. He looked around at all the various machines and free weight equipment scattered all about. He noticed a rack of dumbbells lining one wall of the gym near the back. The gym were full of patrons, male and female, all of them possessing massive bodies. He noticed many of the men in there walked around with a strut, liking the attention their large bodies created.  
"Just because you're big, it doesn't mean you're strong," he smirked and said silently to himself.  
He walked over to the two hundred pound dumbbell and lifted it up and began curling it. Because he never worked out before, his form wasn't all that correct. After a quick glance toward someone nearby lifting weights in a controlled fashion, Ranma emulated it perfectly.  
"These weights are too light," Ranma muttered, placing the massive dumbbell back.  
He glanced toward the side where he saw a barbell with six large plates on each side resting on the ground. The person that was using it for an exercise called deadlifts, had walked away from the barbell to get himself a drink at that point in time.  
Doing a quick calculation, Ranma realized that the barbell weighed five hundred eighty-five pounds. "Hm, I wonder if that's heavy," he scratched his head.  
Walking over to it, he picked it up and started curling it easily. "Shit, this stuff ain't helping," Ranma muttered in annoyance, "How much freaking weight do I hafta left before I start considering it heavy?"  
He walked over to one of the racks and pulled of several plates, placing as many plates on the barbell as he can, loading up the barbell with a little less than a thousand pounds.  
Without effort, Ranma picked it up and began curling it.  
"Jeez," Ranma muttered, "This don't help for shit. I can lift more than what a barbell can hold. How the hell am I gonna get stronger if my body doesn't need to struggle to lift weights like this?"  
He scratched at his head, wondering what would be a good way of lifting weights.  
"Ah," Ranma said.  
He picked up the barbell with one arm, figuring that it would be twice as hard to lift it with one arm that both. To his annoyance, he lifted it without trouble once again.  
Looking down at his feet and noticing how the floor was starting to sag under the weight of his feet pressing down on it, he realized that the gym floor was having trouble holding the weight Ranma was working with.  
"That sucks," Ranma said, "The floor's gonna give out under me if I continue to use such heavy weights. How the hell am I gonna be able to work out if the floor can hold me and the weights I work with?"  
Ranma shrugged, "Hm, maybe lifting weights isn't my thing," He placed the barbell back down. As he started taking the plates off to put them back, not wanting to leave weights lying around, he noticed a couple dozen gym patrons standing around, this stunned look on their faces, their mouths agape from the sight they had just beheld. "Does someone want to us this?" Ranma asked. He hoped they would because that meant he wouldn't need to put the weights back.  
No one said anything, not even the guy that had originally been doing deadlifts with that barbell and went and got a drink and suddenly found someone using it a second later.  
"What?" Ranma asked everyone staring at him, "Do I have something on my face?"  
When he noticed no one saying anything, he went about putting the plates back on a nearby plate rack. After he was done, he walked over to the gym owner. He had been standing among the crowd watching Ranma, awe struck. Ranma realized that weightlifting wasn't for him. While he had nothing against lifting weights, he knew he could not get stronger lifting weights through conventional means. This was because the floor would give out under the strain of the weights he would be lifting for him to consider something heavy.  
Ranma gave a meek smile toward the gym owner.  
"I don't think weightlifting's for me,"

Ranma waited by the front gate of Hyaka High School.  
He noticed that the high school that Shori and her friends attended seemed very much like his own, or at least the one he used to go to.  
He sat on a bench right across the street from the school. He had been sitting there for a few hours, displaying patience that seemed very unlikely of Ranma, an unusually impatient person. Perhaps it was because his time spent in Heaven, where time didn't really matter, that taught him patience.  
"I wonder who these bullies are that pick on Shori," Ranma said to himself. He secretly hoped that those bullies were guys. If they were girls, he had no real idea how he would deal with them but he figure he would think of something when the time came.  
He perked up when he heard the school bell ring, signifying the end of the school day.  
Taking a deep breath, he began walking in the direction of the school as a surge of students started coming out the front entrance of the school.  
Dressed in his usual clothes among the sea of students clad in school uniform, Ranma stood out like a sore thumb. He noticed many students curiously regarding him as they walk by him. When he caught sight of Shori, he quickly headed off to the side, taking cover in the bushes. Even though many students say him doing something suspicious they didn't bother paying all that much attention, regarding him for a moment before going about with their business.  
Glancing out from the bushes, he saw Shori and Akemi and Reia walking together. He noticed they looked rushed, as if they wanted to leave the school grounds quickly. He figured he knew why.  
A boy emerged. He walked up behind Shori and said some things to her that made her seem visibly uncomfortable. Ranma had no idea what the boy said but he assumed that it was something derogatory.  
"Man, high school boys are vicious nowadays," Ranma said.  
He noticed Shori trying to fight the good fight, trying to ignore the remarks the boy was saying. He saw Reia and Akemi by her side, telling her that she shouldn't let those remarks bother her and to ignore the boys.  
When Ranma heard the boy say something along the lines of 'rich bitch', he realized that he had given Shori some bad advice. He didn't care what people thought of him because he had thick skin against insults, mostly because of Akane always calling him a pervert and a jerk. However, realizing that Shori is unlike him, he knew that those words stung, that they would indeed have an effect.  
"That little fuck," Ranma sneered.  
He climbed out from the bushes and covered the distance between him and the boy following closely behind Shori. "Hey," Ranma said in a cold voice, placing an arm over the boys shoulders, "Didn't you learn that it's not nice to tease someone?"  
"What the?" the boy said. "R-Ranma?" Shori caught sight of Ranma.  
Ranma gave Shori a warm smile, "Hey, Shori, how's everything going?"  
"Um," Shori didn't really know what to say. She had no idea where Ranma had come from or why he was there. However, after a quick glance at her antagonists, she had a funny feeling why.  
"Who the hell are you?" the captured boy asked.  
Ranma squeezed his arms close together, bringing the boy closely to his head.  
"Do me a favor and shut the fuck up," Ranma smiled toward him a cold smile, "I'm gonna deal with you, you little fuck, in a second,"  
He looked up at Shori, "Is this the boy that teases you?"  
"Yeah, he is," Akemi said for her. For some reason, she felt happy at seeing the of the boy's scared expressions as Ranma held him tightly.  
Ranma reached out and pressed several pressure points on the young boy. He grinned as he watched the boy suddenly start urinating in his pants, a dark spot forming around the front of the boy's pants.  
"Hey, everybody!" Ranma shouted out loudly for everyone to hear, "Look, this guy took a piss in his pants!"  
The boy looked down and noticed the wet spot. Before he realized what had happened, that he had somehow urinated in his pants, several dozen students started laughing and pointing at him.  
Ranma grinned toward the boy, "Let's see how you like being teased. Let's see if you can take as good as you give,"  
He shoved the boy aside, the boy staggering and falling to the ground, a small puddle of urine forming around him. He just walked up to Shori and smiled as she looked up at him in shock.  
"I doubt he'll be bothering you ever again,"

Mrs. Hyusa busily tried to fill out her paper work. The clock was ticking and she wanted to leave work on time. Ranma's class would be starting in twenty minutes and she didn't want to miss it. She really enjoyed those classes. "Hyusa-sama, there is someone here to see you," the intercom turned on.  
Mrs. Hyusa pressed a button on the device, "Who is it?"  
"A young boy named, Ranma Saotome," came the reply.  
"Um, let him in," she said. She quickly went about with her paperwork. She had a few things she had to finish up before she could get out of there. The door opened and in entered Ranma.  
"Yo," he smiled.  
"What are you doing here?" she asked.  
Ranma asked, "What, you don't want me here? I can leave if you want,"  
"No, that's not what I mean," she said, "It's just that I thought you'd be getting ready to teach class,"  
Ranma said, "Nah, I was just nearby so I figured I'd stop by and say hi,"  
He always did this, drop in unannounced on people he knew. He did this all the time back home, dropping in on Sylia and Nene and so on. Oddly enough, none of them seemed to have minded so it was natural that ended up something similar in this world.  
He didn't bother to mention that he saw Shori in school and escorted her and her friends home before heading back out. He didn't mentioned about how he helped out Shori with her bully problem as well. He had a funny feeling that neither of Shori's parents knew of Shori's problem at school, kids usually wanting to handle their problems with bullies at school on their own.  
"Do you plan on teaching class tonight?" she asked.  
"Yeah," he replied. He started glancing around the office, amazed at how large it was. He noticed a couch, are large cabinet that looked much like a dresser drawer. He also noticed a door off to the side that was opened and walked up to it to see where it led to.  
"I'm almost done with my paperwork," she stated, "I guess it's good that you showed up here. We can head to the dojo together,"  
"Okay," Ranma said, looking through the door, "Whoa, you have a full bathroom in here. Why the hell d'ya've a bathroom here at work?"  
Mrs. Hyusa said, "Sometimes I have a lot of work and have to stay overnight. I usually work until I fall asleep on the couch. When I wake up, I usually take a shower and get changed and resume work,"  
"Get changed?" Ranma asked.  
"Yes, I have several outfits," she gestured, "It's in the dresser drawer over there,"  
"Ah," Ranma walked over to the dresser drawer.  
Mrs. Hyusa resumed finishing up with her paperwork.  
She could actually call it quits and put the paper work off until tomorrow, but she didn't want that. She didn't want to leave work until it was finished completely and put in an envelope and placed it on her assistant's desk to be mailed out first thing in the morning.  
"Ooh," she heard Ranma's voice.  
"What is it?" she looked up.  
Her eyes widened when she realized that her dresser drawer was opened and Ranma was holding up a pair of her panties, a big grin on his face. "Heh, it seems like you don't just keep work clothes in this here dresser draw," Ranma grinned, holding the pair of panties up.  
"Ranma!"

new stuff 11/12

Ranma sat in the car as Mrs. Hyusa drove toward the Tendo home. "You're speeding," Ranma said, "You should slow down,"  
Mrs. Hyusa cast Ranma a quick glance, surprised to be hearing something like that from a sixteen year old boy. It was odd because he seemed to make comments that adults made.  
"Well, class is already starting and you're late," she answered.  
Ranma shrugged, "So? My old man will probably teach the class until I show up. I asked him to always be prepared to teach my class if there's ever the case I can't make it or don't feel like teaching,"  
"That seems kind of unprofessional, don't you think?" she asked, "You're the sensei of that class and should be in charge of it, not delegate your work to someone else,"  
Ranma laughed, "Gee, you notice that now, that I'm unprofessional? The whole concept of me teaching class is unprofessional. I don't even have a black belt. I have no right to be teaching class because I have no form of certification to teach,"  
He was speaking the truth. He didn't have a black belt. He was a white belt, never having changed belt colors to signify his advancement in martial arts. However, if he thought about it, there would be no belt that correctly indicated his advancement in martial arts. If one had to gauged on his and Ryoga's skill in martial arts belt-wise, they would have a dan that was in the triple digits. Ryoga, if one factored in his insane strength to complement his skill, that meant he would have a dan in the quadruple digits.  
"Black belt or not, it doesn't matter," Mrs. Hyusa said, "Everyone knows you know your stuff and that's what matters. Also, I'm sure no one in the class needs to see some kind of certification to know that you're a good sensei,"  
Ranma smiled, "Thanks,"  
"So, what do you intend to teach us?" she asked curiously.  
"Who knows?" Ranma shrugged. After a moment, he started laughing, "Maybe I'll teach everyone ki-blasts,"  
"Ki-blasts?" she asked, wondering what that meant. She had never heard that before.  
Ranma waved a dismissive hand, "Don't worry about it. I'll save that for when people make it to the advanced class,"  
"And when would that be?" she asked, "I know everyone there basically joined at the same time and we're all basically beginners, but when will that class be separated into beginners and advanced students? Some learn faster than others,"  
Ranma shrugged, "Dunno. I'll worry about it when I get to it. I'm used to working on the fly,"  
"Um, so, what did you do today?" she asked, wanting to keep the conversation going for some reason. "Just wandered around," he said, "I stopped by the gym. I worked out for a bit before I realized the gym isn't for me,"  
"Oh? Why, what's wrong with the gym?" Mrs. Hyusa asked.  
Ranma shrugged, "Lifting weights isn't my thing. That's all,"  
"I understand," she said, "Some people don't particularly care for lifting weights, preferring calisthenics instead,"  
Actually, I would lift weights if the floor can support me and the amount of weight I'm capable of lifting, Ranma thought. There was a reason why Ranma was so strong. Although he possessed the body of a sixteen year old boy, he possessed the mind of his current self. This meant he was capable of mentally unlocking his body's true potential. He was able to mentally push his body astronomically beyond its normal limits.  
Knowledge was the key. And because the human body was a marvelous creation, his body was growing stronger with every second to be able to work in handle the stress on it his mind was capable of exerting.  
In a sense, his mind being in a sixteen year old body was akin to an extremely powerful engine in regular car chassis. The chassis, initially, would be unable to handle the power the engine could exert. However, the chassis was constantly being tweaked and reinforced every second to be able to handle the power of the engine. Ranma smirked as he thought about that. Possessing the body of a sixteen year old was completely beneficial for him. Over time, whether he liked it or not, his body will eventually grow to handle the mental stress Ranma could exert on it. It would only be a matter of time before he could move and control his body like the way he used to when he was in his own body. And not only that, because he was in a young body, that meant he was less prone to whatever ailments that usually accompanied an aging body, be it arthritis or anything else. Of course, the problem was that he had the mind of someone over a hundred. It would only be a matter of time before his mind start breaking down due to his old mental age.  
Then again, Ranma thought. Maybe it's different in my case. Maybe I have the brain of a sixteen year old so I'm not prone to the physical breakdown of my mind anytime soon. After a moment of contemplating, Ranma realized he didn't really care. He was never one to worry over things like growing old. He would deal with it when he needed to.  
"It seems like you and my daughter are getting along. I saw you helping her out with some homework or such in the livingroom last night," Mrs. Hyusa's voice broke Ranma's reverie. A few minutes had passed in silence as Ranma thought silently to himself that Mrs. Hyusa felt the need to say something.  
"She's a nice girl," Ranma said, "I like her friends, too. They're true friends. You don't find friends like that really easily,"  
He found it heartwarming how her friends were by Shori's side as they left the school together.  
"Reia and Akemi, my husband and I consider them part of the family," she answered, "Shori and they are extremely close. I'm pretty sure they spend all their time together in school since that's the case when they're out of school,"  
Ranma contemplated asking Mrs. Hyusa if she knew that Shori used to get picked on in school but decided against it. Maybe she didn't know and Shori didn't want her to know. Perhaps Mrs. Hyusa was one of those overprotective mothers that would take extreme measures with dealing with that bully.  
As he thought about Shori for a moment, something entered his mind. "Y'know what's weird? I could've sworn I've seen Shori somewhere before," Ranma stated, "Unfortunately, I can't really remember where. It kinda bugs me because I'm actually really good with remembering faces," He thought about it for a moment, wondering where he had seen Shori or perhaps where he had heard her name before.  
After a moment of deep thought, it came to him. Why didn't he notice it before?  
Ranma had indeed met Shori before, her grown up version in his world. He had bumped into her that day when he and Shinji went to Hokkaido for a martial arts tournament. Funnily enough, he had also met Shori's father as well then. Shinji had sparred against Shori's father and lost. Ranma didn't recognize her because she was all grown up, a beautiful woman, no longer a beautiful girl. He remembered his conversation with her on his world, where he found out she was the CEO of Aido Airlines, the position given over to Shori after she grew up.  
Holy crap, if Shori's life unfolds like it did for the Shori in my world, she's gonna become one of the wealthiest women in Japan, Ranma thought. No wonder why I saw a dojo in the backyard, her father plans on retiring after he teaches Shori how to take over for hm. He's going to start teaching martial arts. Before long, he's going to establish a school up in Hokkaido where Shinji and I would eventually show up and meet him. I'll end up bumping into her while she's visiting her dad that day.  
Ranma closed his eyes, deep in thought about that time when he bumped into her in Hokkaido.  
He and Shinji had been in the dojo in Hokkaido and watched as man that looked to be somewhere in his fifties taught at the head of the class. Although he looked fifty or so, he was most likely much older, his training in martial arts making him look far younger than he originally was.  
"Let's wait for the class to finish before we talk to the head of the school," Ranma said, gesturing toward a row of benches located just off to the side of the entrance.  
"Okay," Shinji shrugged.  
Before they could get seated, a very beautiful woman approached the two of them.  
"Good evening," the woman said.  
Ranma found himself a bit taken aback at the woman's graceful beauty. There was a sense of graceful elegance to her. She looked to be much younger than what her real age was. Shinji assumed she looked to be around early thirties. However, she was probably much older. Seeing her gave him a good idea of how some people did indeed grow well with age.  
"Um, hi," Ranma smiled, "I'm Ranma. And this here is Shinji,"  
"Hello, I'm Shori Hyusa," the woman smiled in return.  
Shinji stood by silently. It was amazing to watch Ranma interact with women, especially women he didn't know. It was as if he knew exactly what to say without even having to think about it.  
"Shori Hyusa, huh?" Ranma scratched his chin, "That name sounds familiar,"  
Shori smiled, "I guess you might've heard my name from time to time,"  
Ranma snapped his fingers, "Ah, I know. You're that CEO chick,"  
"C-chick?" Shori was surprised at Ranma's rather odd choice of words.  
"Yeah, you're that chick that's the CEO of Aido Airlines," Ranma said.  
Shori cleared her throat, "Yes, you're right, I am the 'chick' that's the CEO of Aido Airlines,"  
Ranma gave a quick laugh, "Sorry. I guess chick was the wrong choice of words. I kinda lack tact as you can tell,"  
"It's fine," she said, smiling slightly. This Ranma person was rather intriguing. Most people would be intimidated by her status since she was a very well known person, at least by name.  
"Wow, you must be a really good business woman," Ranma commented, "Aido Airlines is a cool airline as well. They don't crash all that much,"  
Shori coughed, shocked at such a comment. Was that that considered a compliment? She cleared her throat and asked, "So, what brings you here?"  
Ranma chuckled, "Actually, that's what I was about to ask you. If you're the CEO of Aido Airlines, why're you all the way here in Hokkaido? Aido Airport is located just a short distance from MegaTokyo, right?"  
"I'm here visiting some family," she said, "What brings you here?"  
Ranma glanced down toward Shori's hands and noticed that she wasn't wearing a wedding ring.  
"You married?" he asked from out of the blue.  
"W-what?" she was shocked at such a personal question, "I don't think that's any of your business,"  
Sure, she was a very beautiful single woman and she had her fair share of people hitting on her, but never had she met a person that moved so fast. There was usually some form of protocol to getting a woman's personal information rather than just outright ask such questions, especially within such a short time after meeting each other.  
Ranma pointed toward her hands, "I notice you're not wearing a wedding ring so I assume you're not married,"  
Shori looked down at her hands. Her hands were bare except two tiny bracelets that the wrist of her right hand, given to her by two good friends of hers from her childhood, Akemi and Reia.  
"I don't see the relevance of such an observation," Shori asked, giving Ranma a confused look.  
Ranma shrugged, "Well, you ask why Shinji and I were here. We're here to challenge a man named Tsuki Hyusa. Since you two share the same name, I figured he'd be your husband. However, since it seems like you're not married, I assume he's either your brother or your father,"  
Shori was silent for several moments. Had she really jumped to conclusion and thought Ranma had been trying to hit on her and get her personal information? She gave a small laugh, "Oh,"  
"Why, what were you thinking?" Ranma asked.  
"Um, nothing," she quickly said, "Anyway, Tsuki Hyusa is my father. How come you're here to challenge him? What has he done?"  
Shori knew her father was a good man and never did anything wrong. Sure, he was a shrewd business man decades ago when he was the CEO of Aido Airlines, before he passed his business on to his daughter, but he wasn't the type of person that had enemies. Although a shrewd businessman, all his business decisions usually benefited both parties. Ranma jerked a thumb over his shoulder toward the man by the head of the class, "Is that your father?"  
"Yes," she said, "Might I ask as to why you're here to challenge him?"  
Ranma said, "I wish to find out how good he is. We're from the 'Anything Goes School of Martial Arts' and had come to see how good he is. We're interested in setting up a friendly yearly martial arts tournament,"  
"T-that's it?" she said, surprised that this was something totally different from what she had originally thought.  
Ranma nodded, "Yep,"  
Before long, they found themselves sitting next to one another as they awaited for the match to begin.  
"So, what's yer story?" Ranma asked, figuring it was better to fill the silent gap with conversation.  
"What do you mean?" she asked.  
"Dunno," he said, "Like how come you're here? You're here visiting your old man?"  
"Yes, I'm here visiting my so-called old man," Shori said, wondering if the man beside her was incorrigible. "Where ya live?" he asked.  
Shori regarded Ranma for a moment.  
"Where do you live?" she asked.  
"I live in MegaTokyo now," he said, "I used to live in Nerima before it burned to the ground in the 'Nerima Massacre',"  
Shori's eyes widened, "N-Nerima? You lived there! I lived in Hyaka," She didn't seem to find any reason not to tell the man. Besides, he had given her some of his information first. It was only proper to reveal some information about herself as well.  
"Hyaka, huh? That was one town over from where I used to live," Ranma said.  
Shori nodded, "Yes. You're right. Wait a minute, you name wouldn't happen to be Ranma Saotome, would it?"  
Ranma narrowed his eyes, "Yeah, it is. How didja know that?" He remembered only giving her his first name. However, he figured there should be no reason to be surprised that people knew his name. He had done many things to help this world and his name was very well-known in the martial arts community.  
"Wow, you're Ranma Saotome," Shori had this very surprised look on her face, "I can't believe we're actually meeting. It's such as small world,"  
Ranma continued to regard Shori cautiously.  
"My friends and I had a crush on you," she blurted out.  
Shori's eyes widened as she immediately realized she wasn't supposed to had said that aloud. What was even more shocking was that she felt like she was acting like a schoolgirl when she realized that. She was a mature and full grown woman, not some love-struck schoolgirl meeting her crush face-to-face.  
Ranma regarded Shori for a moment, his gaze making Shori self-conscious of herself. After a moment, he shrugged his shoulders as if dismissing a thought, "Well, perhaps if we met in a different life or a different world, things could've been different. I'm not the same guy you and yer friends had a crush on,"  
"Of course," she tried to compose herself, "Everyone changes,"  
Ranma couldn't agree more.  
"I thought everyone died in the 'Nerima Massacre'," Shori said, "The entire town was leveled. Were you out of town when that happened?"  
Ranma was silent for a moment.  
"I'm sorry," she said, "I shouldn't be asking you such questions. They probably bring back bad memories,"  
Ranma shook his head, "Nah. It happened so long ago that it doesn't bother me when I talk about it,"  
"I remember it very clearly, like it was yesterday," she said.  
"Oh?"  
"I was walking down the street and was on my way to the amusement park to meet my two friends, Akemi and Reia," she said, thinking back a few decades, "I even remember where I was when it happened. I was walking past this fountain when I saw a brilliant flash of light. The next thing I knew, I saw towers of smoke billowing up in to the sky,"  
Ranma smirked, "That first tower of billowing smoke was probably my house going up in flames. My house was the first thing to get destroyed. I was minding my own business when it happened, when I saw these missile fly right by me and in to the house. The next thing I knew, I was climbing out of a pile of debris where my house used to be. Among the debris were my friends and family, all of them dead,"  
"Oh god, that's horrible," Shori felt sad, almost wanting to cry, "No one should have to go through what you went through,"  
Ranma took a few deep breaths. Perhaps he wasn't so indifferent to his past as he thought. Dreading up old memories did bother him at times. However, the pain-  
filled heart he carried for all those years had died down to a dull ache.  
"That was a long time ago," he said, "I've learned to move on,"  
The two of them glanced up and noticed Shinji standing over his two opponents, Katsuhito and Otomo, both of them having submitted to individual submission moves Shinji had applied on the two of them.  
"You seem rather deep in thought," Mrs. Hyusa said. Ranma opened his eyes, snapping out of his reverie, "Huh?"  
"You seem rather deep in thought," Mrs. Hyusa repeated.  
I was. I was thinking about the time when I met your daughter after she was all grown up, Ranma thought. I was thinking about how stupid I was to not have noticed your daughter was that, girl, no, that woman, that I had met that day up in Hokkaido.  
There was no way Ranma could tell her the truth. Heck, he doubted he should ever tell anyone the truth. Besides, after how long he spent explaining himself to Akane before, he didn't really want to go through that again, especially when there was no telling whether or not she believed him.  
"What were you thinking about, if you don't mind my asking?" she asked again.  
"Nothing much," Ranma said glibly. Akane regarded Mrs. Hyusa critically as she and Ranma entered the dojo together.  
"Where have you been?" Akane asked, stepping away from the class to approach Ranma. Mrs. Hyusa quickly headed off into the locker room to get changed into her dogi.  
"Hanging out, wandering around, trying not to get arrested," Ranma answered, "I stopped by Mrs. Hyusa's workplace and came here with her. It saved me the jog back from wherever I was all the way back here since she drove," Akane said nothing.  
"Oh yeah, I found something out," Ranma said, changing the subject, "It turns out that I know Shori from my own world,"  
"What?" Akane asked, "Shori?"  
"Don't you remember, the daughter," Ranma said, "I mentioned about here to you earlier today. She's the same ages as you, as us, and is the daughter of Mrs. Hyusa,"  
"What about her? What do you mean you know her from your own world?" she asked.  
Ranma smirked, "Just that, I met her in my world. I've met her when she's all grown up,"  
"What?" Akane's eyes widened.  
"Yeah, it's a small world," Ranma smirked, "I got along really well with Shori in my world. It also explains why I get along really well with Mrs. Hyusa, because she and the Shori I met are very much alike,"  
"What? Y-you like Mrs. Hyusa?" Akane's eyes widened, "She's more than twice your age!"  
Ranma smirked, "Actually, I'm more than twice Mrs. Hyusa's age. I may look sixteen, but I'm not, remember? Anyway, I think that's why I get along pretty well with Mrs. Hyusa, because she's very much like the Shori I met in my world and got along well with,"  
Akane said nothing for a moment, "So what does that mean, that you like her?"  
Ranma chuckled, "Like her? Yeah, of course I do,"  
"Like her?" Akane asked, "Or like-like her?"  
"What does it matter?" Ranma asked, "Oh. I get it. Well, I like her. Do I have any feelings for her, nothing outside that of a friendship. It's much like our own relationship, where we get along well,"  
He added that last statement to remind her that he saw Akane as a friend, to help remind her that there was no reason for her to get angry at him.  
"Oh," Akane looked sad.  
"Akane," Ranma placed a hand on her shoulder, "You need to move on. I know you like me, but don't bother holding some kinda torch for me,"  
"W-what makes you think I'm holding some kind of torch for you?" Akane said defensively.  
Ranma sighed, "Fine, whatever. Just lemme add in my two cents, whether you care to believe me or not. Don't bother holding a torch for me because I will be leaving and never coming back,"  
"I know," she said, "You told me that before,"  
Ranma smirked, "And don't even think about asking me to take you with me,"  
The thought had crossed her mind before but she would never leave to go with Ranma to some other world. She liked him quite a bit but wasn't smitten with him that she would do something so stupid as to leave all her friends and family to go with him. Besides, for all she knew, Ranma was crazy and made up the entire story.  
Ranma said, "Anyway, we can talk about this another time. I've got a class to teach,"  
"Oh, before you go do your stuff, I found something out in school," Akane said, "I'm just curious if you can recall something that happened in your past concerning a guy named Gosunkugi? I was just curious as to if your moving out did change things from happening the way you expected,"  
Ranma asked, "Gosunkugi? What's he look like? The name sounds familiar,"  
"Skinny kid, glasses, into occult stuff," Akane said, "He's not in our class but I figure you might know about him,"  
Ranma snapped his fingers, "Oh yeah. I remember something about him. He tried finding out what my weakness was in school and teamed up with Kuno. Man, that brings back memories,"  
Akane's eyes were wide with surprise.  
"Was I right?" he asked, "I don't really remember the details all that much,"  
"You're absolutely right," Akane said, "I found out that Gosunkugi has been going around in school today trying to find out about finding a weakness you had. And you're right, he did team up with Kuno. When he found out you dropped out, he seemed to've lost interest in that,"  
Ranma smirked, "See? Now are you starting to believe me? I've been through this life before. It seems like my dropping out of school means I don't hafta deal with lots of the crap coming my way,"  
Akane said nothing. There was some truth to what he was saying. She found his story incredible but there were hints that what Ranma really had said was true.  
"I'm gonna go talk to my old man," Ranma said, "It'll talk to you later,"  
He walked up to the front of the class where his father was. Class had only started around five minutes ago and Genma had been simply helping the class out with stretching.  
"I can't believe you're doing this, boy," Genma said, "You're making it very awkward for me to continue staying here at the Tendo's even though there is no prospect of you and one of Soun's daughters marrying,"  
This was the first time Soun had a chance to talk to Ranma since he left that night. He had a lot of things he wanted to get off his chest, about how he was disappointed in his son.  
"So leave then," Ranma said, "I don't even know why you should feel awkward anyway. It's not like you're freeloading. You're earning your stay by helping out and teaching,"  
"I can't believe you're throwing away such an opportunity," Genma said, "You drop out of school. Move out. Disapprove of the engagement to Akane. What's come over you, boy?"  
"Nothing's come over me," Ranma answered, "I'm making my own choices, not having you or anyone else do them for me,"  
Genma said nothing, showing no signs of wanting to argue against Ranma.  
Ranma couldn't help but feel animosity toward person he was when he was young, because he never bothered to really stand up to his father and make his own decisions. Why did he let his father convince him to come back to Japan after he had been cursed? If he had just said no, him having a curse would never have been an issue and it would have saved him a load of grief when he was young.  
"What do you plan on doing?" Genma asked after a moment, "You dropped out of school. You disapproved of the engagement and basically said to Soun that you have no intention of taking over the school,"  
Ranma smiled confidently.  
"I'll be fine," In a distant location called Phoenix Mountain, a woman that had wings, pointed ears, and hands that resembled claws of that of birds was sitting in her bedroom.  
Her name was Kiima and she was a warrior of the Phoenix, caretaker of the prince of Phoenix Mountain people, Saffron.  
She wasn't doing anything in particular when there came a knock on the door. She was sitting by the window feeding a few birds.  
"Enter," she said.  
A servant entered, holding in his hands a letter, "Kiima-sama, this letter has arrived for you,"  
"A letter, for me?" she asked curiously, "Bring it here,"  
The servant did as he was told, handing her the letter and then left her alone.  
Looking curious at the letter, she opened it up and read the contents.  
'I, Kodachi Kuno, challenge you to a duel. How dare you engage yourself to Ranma Saotome against his will? I will defeat you and null your engagement to him so that he will be freed from your clutches and freed to marry a woman worthy of him, that being myself. I am ready to fight you at any time you desire.'  
At the bottom of the letter there was an address of where this Kodachi person could be fore.  
"What is this?" Kiima asked, "Kodachi Kuno? Ranma Saotome?"  
She glanced at the letter for a moment before she pocketed it. The letter had piqued her interest for some odd reason. She had never received a letter of challenge before. Maybe she should go investigate.  
Leaving her bedroom, she headed down a very large and long hallway and stopped in front of a very large door, the door to Saffron, the prince and eventual ruler of Phoenix Mountain that she had to obey. If she were to go investigate the meaning of the letter, she needed to ask for his permission first.  
"Enter," came a voice.  
Kiima entered the bedroom. Inside, she spotted Saffron as he stood by the window. He was a young child, raised by his caretaker, Kiima.  
"Ah, what brings you?" Saffron asked. Kiima produced the letter and handed it to Saffron.  
"I received this letter of challenge from a Kodachi Kuno," she stated, "I would like your permission to go to Japan and investigate,"  
Saffron too the letter and took a quick glance at it.  
"Finacee? Engagement?" Saffron asked, angry but not directed toward Kiima, "Who's this Ranma Saotome you're engaged to?"  
He didn't know why he was angry. Kiima was his caretaker. She was his servant. So why should he care who she was or wasn't engaged with? It didn't make sense.  
"I'm not," she said, "There seems to be some kind if mistake. I'd like to investigate it,"  
Saffron narrowed his eyes toward the letter for a moment before handing it back to Kiima, "Very well, you have my permission. You may go investigate, on one condition,"  
Kiima said, "Thank you, sir. And what condition is that?"  
"I will come with you. I want to find out who this Ranma Saotome fellow is,"

new stuff 11/26

Shori was playing piano when Ranma entered the house late that night. He had stayed behind after teaching class to eat dinner with them before heading off. He had spent his time at the Tendos explaining to them what kind of place he was staying and what kind of people the Hyusas were.  
Once again, Shori had been playing that song Ranma had heard her play before.  
"Man, that's such a nice song," Ranma said after Shori was finished playing.  
"R-Ranma, you're back," she said, "When'd you let yourself in? I didn't hear you,"  
Ranma smirked, "I can be really discreet if I wanted to. I heard y'playing from outside and didn't want y'to hear me and stop playing. I can be silent if I wanted to. Heh, I'd be one great cat-burgler,"  
Shori giggled slightly. She didn't seem all that nervous around Ranma anymore, as if she had gotten over her shyness around him even though she knew him for such a short time.  
"Thanks for what you did this afternoon, with that boy teasing me," Shori stated gratefully.  
"I know, you told me when I walk you and Akemi and Reia back home. I think I gave you bad advice with that kinda teasing," Ranma said, "I figured it was something relatively harmless, but for him to say such vicious words, it's understandable that it's very hard to ignore. Heck, even I found myself getting angry hearing him saying to someone else, let alone toward myself,"  
Shori asked, "What do you think's going to happen to him in school tomorrow?"  
"He's going to feel what's it like to be teased for a change," he smirked, "He deserves what he gets. Sure, I don't believe that anyone should ever suffer through ridicule or something, but for people like him, I don't really care. I hope you don't mind my doing that to him,"  
Shori said, "I don't mind. I feel a bit bad that I'm kind something like that happened to him. I'm not the only one that he teases,"  
"Well, I doubt he'll ever tease anyone again," Ranma smirked, "If he ever decides to tease you, perhaps because he's stupid, you could simply refer to the time when he peed himself,"  
"How did that happen?" she asked, "Did you scare him or something? You must've scared him really well for him to, um, lose control of himself,"  
Ranma shrugged, "I dunno. I was just holding him and telling him to basically leave you alone and he suddenly peed himself. I guess he was all talk, that he isn't as tough as he makes himself to believe by teasing people,"  
"That's amazing," she said, "Anyway, thank you,"  
"No prob," he said, "So, how about you show me how to play some piano, as a way of thanks for helping you out. You kinda gave me the cold shoulder before about teaching me,"  
"Um, sorry about that," she gave a meek smile, "I didn't mean to be like that. It's just that I had no idea who you were and such,"  
"It's okay," he said, eager to start learning something new, "So, can you start teaching me now?"  
"Well, I don't see why not," she shrugged, "I'm not really that good at teaching,"  
"Let me be the judge of that," Ranma smiled.  
"Um, okay," she said.  
Ranma took a seat down on the bench next to Shori as she scooted over to allow him to sit directly in front of the middle of the piano. "This is middle-C," she gestured, pressing down on a key and then gesturing toward more keys, "And moving up is D, E, F, G, and then it starts all over again from A. A, B, C. Notice how this C looks very much like middle-C, right below the two black keys,"  
"Ah, I see," Ranma said, "I guess before you start showing me that song, Canon, I need to learn the basics, huh?" "Yes, it helps," she giggled, "Of course, considering how complicated the song is, I doubt I'll be able to show you anything about that song before you leave. You said you're only staying here for a few days, right?"  
"All right, just start showing me the song now," Ranma smirked, "Let's skip the basics and move right onto the song. It'd be better that way,"  
Shori said, "Well, we can give that a try. You said you were good at emulating people, so perhaps I can show you the keys you press. You'd basically be remembering what keys to press and when,"  
"I don't mind, I'd just like to have something to remember this place by," Ranma said, "For when I go back,"  
"Go back?" she asked, "What do you mean by that? Where are you planning on going? Back home?"  
Ranma smiled, "Yeah, I guess you can think of it as that,"  
"I thought you wanted to move out," she said, "You didn't even find yourself your own apartment yet and you plan on moving back?"  
"It's complicated," he answered, "There's no need to worry over it. Anyway, I'm a pretty quick learner. Lemme just watch you play a few dozen notes and I'll try and emulate you. Is that okay?"  
"Um, okay," she said, "It's not all that hard to emulate the song's beginning, but it gets complicated really quickly,"  
Ranma smiled confidently, "I'll be the judge of that,"  
"Okay," she shrugged, "Just watch me and tell me and try and remember the keys I hit,"  
"Okay," he said.  
Ranma scooted over to let Shori sit in the middle of the bench. He watched as she took a deep breath before she began playing the song. He noticed the song started out very slow, Shori starting off with hitting nothing but a bunch of chords. However, after around twenty seconds, he noticed one hand started playing something different while the other notes. It looked as if her left hand moved independently from that of her right hand.  
After a minute, she stopped, "That should be enough,"  
"No, keep on playing, please," Ranma said, "I still follow you,"  
"Yeah right," she was skeptic, "There's no way you can possibly remember that much,"  
Ranma smirked, "Wanna bet?"  
Shori got up off the bench, "All right, let's see you play what I played,"  
Ranma grinned as he cracked his knuckles and sat down where Shori sat a second ago and began playing the song. Shori's eyes widened and jaw nearly dropped to the floor when she noticed Ranma was emulating her perfectly, playing each note perfectly and at the correct timing. After a minute, Ranma played the song all the way up to where Shori stopped.  
"Well?" Ranma asked, "Is that how the song go?"  
Shori had this stunned look on her face, "This is the first time you ever played the piano?"  
"Yeah," he said.  
"That's incredible," she said after a long pause, "That's so incredible it borderlines on that of impossible. I can even begin to comprehend how you were able to remember how to play part of the song with just one hand, let alone two hands,"  
Ranma said, "That's easy, I'm ambidextrous,"  
"Ambidextrous?" Shori asked, not recognizing the word, "What's that?"  
"I'm neither left-handed nor right-handed," he answered, "I can use my left hand as well as I can use my right,"  
"Wow, that's incredible," she said, "I never anyone that could do that. That must be some kind of rare gift,"  
Ranma said, "Actually, I used to be right handed, but I built up my left hand to work as well as my right. I've been able to use my left hand as well as my right ever since,"  
"That's great," she was awed, "However, I did notice that, although you were hitting the right notes, your fingering was off,"  
"Fingering?" he asked.  
She nodded, "Yes. If you do the right fingering, there's less wasted movements. For instance, rather than hit a key with your index finger and then shifting your whole hand to hit another key with your index finger again, it's better to just hit it with your thumb and then hit the next key with your pinkie. You won't have to shift your hand around,"  
"Ah," Ranma said, "It makes sense,"  
"I'm sure you'll pick up on the fingering quickly," she stated, "Afterall, it seems as if you have photographic memory, to be able to remember so many notes just by watching me in the first place,"  
"That was easy," he stated, "I have a system in which I remember things. Since I've trained all my life in martial arts, I associated everything with martial arts. I know it might seem strange how I could somehow associate piano keys with martial arts, but I do. It's hard to explain how I do it,"  
"Well, that system you use works great," she smiled, "I wish I had a system like that. I must be really easy to do well on tests and such using that system,"  
Ranma chuckled, "Yeah, it would be easy for tests and such,"  
"Good morning, Ranma," Akemi greeted Ranma warmly.  
"Morning, Ranma," Reia said.  
It was the next day. Ranma had been up when the girls showed up to head to school with Shori together. When Shori said she would be down in a minute, they decided to go bother Ranma.  
He had been in the livingroom reading the newspaper he had picked up during his morning jog. He had decided he should spend the day looking for an apartment.  
"Morning, girls," Ranma said warmly, looking up from his newspaper, "Here to see me? Hoping to see me walking around in just my boxers or something?"  
Both girls blushed, "No!"  
Akemi cleared her throat after a moment, "We're here to see Shori, but I guess we're here to see you,"  
"Yeah," Reia added, "We also wanted to thank you for what you did for Shori yesterday,"  
"You already thanked me after school when I walked you girls home," Ranma smiled warmly, "No need to thank me more than once,"  
Akemi smirked, "So, you wear boxers, huh?"  
Ranma chuckled. Akemi sure was amusing. There was a capricious personality to her, more so than Reia. He found himself sometimes wondering how Akemi would digress and steer the conversations down completely irrelevant paths.  
"So, what are you up to?" Reia asked, noticing the newspaper, "How come you're checking out the classifieds? Looking for an apartment?"  
Ranma nodded, "Yeah, I think I'll spend the day checking out apartments. I don't wanna overstay my welcome here,"  
"I doubt that would ever be the case," Akemi said bluntly, "It's not like you're some annoying houseguest that the Hyusa's are being nice to out of obligation,"  
"Akemi!" Reia said to her friend.  
Really, they're not like that, at least not Mrs. and Mr. Hyusa," Akemi continued on, "If they don't like you, they'll make it known,"  
"Gee, since you put it that way," Ranma laughed.  
"That was really funny what happened," Akemi giggled, "I think Shori's bully deserved what he got coming to him. I hope he gets teased for the rest of the time he goes to Hyaka High School,"  
Ranma grinned, "Man, aren't we awfully vindictive. I best not get on your bad side,"  
"Damn right," Akemi laughed.  
Reia laughed as well.  
Ranma got up and headed for the piano, "Hey, Shori showed me how to play the Canon last night,"  
"You play piano?" Akemi and Reia asked.  
"Now I do," Ranma smiled confidently.  
Reia gestured toward the piano, "Care to play for us?"  
"Sure," Ranma said.  
Both girls watched as Ranma walked over to piano and sat down. They listened intently as Ranma played the song in its entirety, not messing up once in the process. When he was done, both of them had a look of awe on their faces.  
"Wow, you played it exactly like Shori plays it," Reia was very impressed, "As I was listening, several times I actually forgot that you were playing it and though it was Shori,"  
"Yeah," Akemi agreed, "The similarity to how you play and Shori play is uncanny,"  
"Thanks," he was touched by the comment, "Unfortunately, I can only emulate her. I can only play this because I memorized it. I can't do anything else with the piano but play that song,"  
"That's the only thing you can play?" Akemi asked, "Well, that's one heck of a song to know,"  
"You've never played piano before now, right?" Reia asked, "I find it very odd how you can possibly know how to play that song if you've never played piano. And you said you learned it last night? How's that possible, to be able to learn an entire song by memory when you've never played piano before?"  
"I'm a fast learner," Ranma smiled.  
"He really is," Shori said as she entered the livingroom, "I myself am still shocked at it. He just watched me play the song and emulated the way I played perfectly. He was able to memorize the entire song, all the notes and its timings, in one go,"  
"I've got to see this," Akemi said, "Ranma, forgive me for being skeptic, but can I see you do that, emulate someone playing? I can play piano and I'd like to see you emulate me,"  
"Um, sure, if you want," Ranma said.  
Akemi turned toward the piano as Ranma scooted over. She played a quick song, making a long mistake in playing an otherwise complicated song. When she was done, she scooted over and watched in complete awe as Ranma emulated her perfectly, playing the exact note from memory, even playing the mistake she had made as if it was part of the song.  
"He made a mistake," Reia noticed.  
"I did?" Ranma scratched the back of his head.  
"No, he didn't," Shori stated, "Akemi made that mistake. He played the song perfectly, mistake and all,"  
"Wow," Reia was shocked.  
"That's for sure," Akemi said.  
"Let's play Heart and Soul," Reia said happily, "It's a song meant to be played by two people. I think ever girl knows how to play the melody to the song,"  
"Heart and Soul?" Ranma asked, "Sounds like a good name for a fanfic,"  
"Huh?" all three girls asked.  
"Nevermind," Ranma said, "A friend of mine reads fanfics and all and that sounded like a good fanfic name. That's all. Anyway, how do you play this Heart and Soul song?"  
"Um, I don't want to sound like a cloud on your parade, but we don't have much time," Reia said reluctantly, "We're going to be late for school. Maybe we can show Ranma after school,"  
Ranma said, "It's for the better. We can wait till another time. I don't wanna be the cause of you girls getting to school late,"  
The three girls headed for the door.  
Ranma followed after the girls, "I'll walk you girls to school,"  
Ranma walked the girls to school without incident.  
When Ranma dropped the girls off and saw the bully in the courtyard, he couldn't help but smile when he noticed several guys teasing him about him urinating on himself yesterday. High school kids were really cruel, already having given the bully the nickname of 'Piss-boy'. The boy seemed completely unaccustomed to being teased, him used to doing the teasing instead. He constantly tried to shout at people making fun of him, which further goaded others to tease him. Before long, he just stormed into the school feeling defeated.  
"Well, it seems like you don't need to worry about your bully problem anymore," Ranma stated, "I betcha now that he knows how being picked on feels like, he'll think twice about picking on anyone else. Besides, even if he does try and pick on you, you can easily refer to the time he wet himself and I'm sure it'll automatically end the teasing,"  
"Thanks, Ranma," all three girls said at once.  
"No prob," he said, "Glad I could help. Well, have fun. I'm off,"  
Before they could all their goodbyes, Ranma caught sight of a shadow dart out from the trees. Actually, he sensed the shadow long before he had seen it. However, he didn't pay all that much attention to it until now.  
The shadow shot out from the trees, shooting through the sky and directly toward Ranma. Ranma swatted the shadow out of the way without much thought, sending it flying in another direction, landing in the middle of the courtyard where Ranma and everyone else could get a good glimpse at the wannabe assailant.  
The assailant was a short and elderly woman with long white hair that balanced herself on top of a staff.  
Ranma smirked, recognizing the woman. It was Shampoo's great-grandmother. Seeing her brought back some memories. However, right off the bat, he knew that her appearance, especially the location, was different from when he was young.  
"You're very skillful," Cologne said, impressed, "Your reflexes are phenomenal to be able to react that quickly,"  
Ranma said, "I should say the same for you. I'm surprised you didn't get hurt when I swatted you outta the way like that,"  
"Ranma, who's that woman?" Shori asked curiously.  
Cologne regarded the pretty girl talking to Ranma.  
"So, you're Ranma's fianc e, huh?" Cologne said in a slow voice, "My grand-  
daughter has mentioned about Ranma telling her that the two of you are engaged,"  
"What?" Shori and her friends gasped, Shori blushing a deep shade of red.  
Ranma began to say to Cologne, "Wait a minute, hold up-"  
"I will not have that happen," Cologne said, "You are to be betrothed to my grand-daughter whether you like it or not,"  
"No," Ranma said, wanting to deal with Cologne first. He will talk to Shori and get things straightened out with her afterwards, perhaps after school.  
"Wow, you and Ranma are engaged?" Akemi turned toward Shori.  
"I had no idea," Reia added.  
"I have no idea what is going on," Shori said in confusion.  
"No? That is not a good enough answer," Cologne said, "You will marry my grand-daughter,"  
Ranma laughed, "Ha! Make me,"  
Cologne smirked, "That is not a wise choice. You should not underestimate me,"  
Ranma burst out laughing.  
He then turned toward Shori, "Shori, you and the others should go on into school, so you're not late. Don't worry about what's going on. It's all a misunderstanding. I'll clear it up with you later, after you're done with school,"  
"O-okay," Shori nodded.  
Ranma watched as Shori and her two friends headed on into the school, pausing once to look back at him before finally disappearing into the school. He had been ready to react should Cologne make any sudden movements in their general directions.  
"Let's make a deal," Ranma smirked, "If you defeat me, I'll marry Shampoo,"  
Cologne smirked.  
"And if I defeat you, you leave and never come back," Ranma said, "And if you ever interfere with my life from that point on be it directly or indirectly, I come to Joketsuzoku and make it known to your entire village that you are not honoring your end of the deal,"  
Cologne's visage became somber.  
"I know about Amazon law," Ranma said, "Not upholding your end of a deal is a very dishonorable. You'll not only lose your position as the matriarch of Joketsuzoku, you'll be exiled from there,"  
Cologne said nothing for a moment, "It seems you're very knowledgeable of Joketsuzoku and our laws,"  
"Yeah, I am," he said. "Very well, I accept the terms," Cologne said confidently.  
Ranma dashed forward, covering the distance between himself and Cologne in a blink of an eye. When she hopped off her staff and tried to strike at him with it, she found herself hitting nothing but air, Ranma no longer where she had expected him to be.  
She caught some movement out the corner of one of her eyes and quickly turned around to face it, just in time to see Ranma charging toward her. She swung her staff around to try and hit him, only to see his image flicker before disappearing. This continued on for several seconds, Ranma using his inhuman speed to basically running circles around Cologne, Cologne's eyes unable to keep up with Ranma's speed.  
After around ten seconds, Ranma got bored confusing Cologne and stopped right behind her. As she turned around to face him, Ranma reached out and pressed several pressure points on Cologne's back. She managed to look up at him and see his grinning face before she fell to the ground unconscious. She never stood a chance.  
"Heh. Just be glad I didn't use no ki-blast or nothing,"

Ranma was walking down the street when he caught sight of Kasumi. "Kasumi?" he called out, waving a hand to her.  
"Ah, Ranma," she smiled warmly, "What brings you here around town?"  
Ranma smiled, "I was about to ask you the same thing,"  
"I'm doing some grocery shopping," Kasumi answered, gesturing toward the shopping bag she was carrying.  
"Oh, here, lettme help carry that for you," Ranma reached out and took a hold of the grocery bag.  
Kasumi smiled, "Thank you, Ranma. I really appreciate it,"  
"Me, I've been spending most of the morning checking out apartments," Ranma added, "I haven't found a single one that I would ever consider living in,"  
"I'm sure you'll find one soon enough," she said, walking along as Ranma walked along side her.  
"Hopefully," Ranma shrugged, "It might take a while before I find a decent place to live. I don't wanna trouble Mrs. Hyusa more than need be so I might pick any apartment before long,"  
"Why not move back in?" Kasumi asked curiously, "I'm sure my father won't mind at all taking you back in,"  
Ranma shook his head, "Nah. There's no need for that. Besides, I don't particularly care about sleeping in the same room as my father. He snores so loudly that it sometimes gives me trouble sleeping,"  
"Well, if you want, you can sleep with me," she offered politely.  
"What?" Ranma's eyes widened, the comment suddenly bringing forth sexually explicit mental images of himself and Kasumi.  
Kasumi said, "You can sleep in my room if you'd like. Rather than sleeping in the same room as your father, you can sleep in the same room as myself. I'm a quiet sleeper so I doubt I'd wake you up,"  
"Oh," Ranma slapped his forehead, "That's what you meant,"  
"What do you think I meant?" Kasumi gave him a curious looked.  
"That I can, y'know, sleep with you," he said bluntly, realizing that he should have said that until after he said that.  
"Oh my," Kasumi blushed, "I-I didn't mean it like that,"  
"I-I didn't mean to say that," Ranma felt guilty for embarrassing Kasumi.  
"Um, it's okay," she said, still blushing, "You're a young boy so I guess it's natural for someone like you to think of those things,"  
Now it was Ranma's turn to blush, "Um, er, it's not like that. It's just that the way you said it made me think of us doing, y'know, that's all,"  
"Oh my," Kasumi blushed more, "Y-you thought about yourself and I..."  
"No, yes, no, yes, ah, you're confusing me," Ranma said, still blushing, scratching his head vigorously.

new stuff 12/1

"Oh my, you sure ordered a lot," Kasumi commented.  
"Heh, I'm a growing boy," Ranma smirked.  
He and Kasumi were sitting together at a restaurant having lunch. Ranma had suggested it and Kasumi didn't seem to mind. They had placed their orders already. "So, when was the last time you ate out?" Ranma asked curiously.  
Kasumi asked, "Not in a long time. Why do you ask?"  
"I dunno," he said, a bit sad, "It's just that it seems like you're always home preparing meals and such that I figure you never go out and eat,"  
She said, "Well, there's really no need for me to go out and eat since I'm always preparing the meals I eat,"  
Ranma said, "I understand. But dontcha ever wanna go and eat out from time to time?"  
"I don't mind," Kasumi said.  
"Was there ever a time when you and your family used to go out?" he asked, enjoying the conversation with Kasumi.  
Kasumi was silent for a moment.  
"Well, our family used to go out every Friday night," Kasumi answered.  
"Really?" Ranma was surprised to hear that, "Like some kinda Friday dinner thing?"  
Kasumi nodded.  
"Wow," he said, "I never knew that. How come you don't anymore?"  
"Well, my mother died," she answered softly, "She was the one that started that tradition. Since she died, we stopped since, well, it usually brings up sad memories,"  
"Oh," Ranma said, "I'm sorry to hear that,"  
"It's okay," she said softly, "It was a long time ago,"  
Ranma was silent for a moment, "Well, if it helps anyway, the pain of having lost family dulls over the years. It never really goes away, but it over time, it doesn't ache like it used to,"  
Kasumi simply smiled, hiding her inner feelings very well.  
"Hey," Ranma said, "Hypothetically speaking, what would you think about having your mom back?"  
"What?" she asked, "What do you mean?"  
Ranma scratched his head as he wondered how he should go wording it.  
"What would you think about having your mom alive again?" Ranma asked, "Let's say, hypothetically, that I have the power, or better yet, know the person with the power, to bring your mom back. What do you think about that? Would you want your mom back?"  
Kasumi gave a soft smile, "Well, of course I would like to have her back. I, as well as Akane and Nabiki and my father miss her dearly. Unfortunately, something like that can never be so there's no use in thinking about that,"  
Ranma said, "Actually, you have point. There's no guarantee that your mom wants to come back,"  
"What was that?" Kasumi wondered what Ranma meant by that.  
"Ah, nothing," Ranma waved his hand dismissively. It was just thinking about how it would be a nice going away present from me to your family, Ranma thought. However, it's not all that simple. It never really works that way, where the dead wants to come back to life after having died. It's usually the other way around, where the dead have gone to a better place and wait for their family and friends to eventually show up.  
"Aside from going out grocery shopping, do you ever go out?" Ranma asked, wanting to change the subject.  
Kasumi shook her head, "No,"  
"Not at all?" he asked.  
"Well, every here and there, I visit some friends when they're home from college," she said after a moment, "I keep in touch with a couple of my friends from when I went to high school but they're usually busy with school work or away at college. The only time I ever see them are the times when they're home during college break. The amount of times I see them are usually far and few between,"  
"Oh," Ranma said, "What do you and your friends do when they're home for break?"  
"Nothing much," she said, "Catch up on times. Sometimes see a movie,"  
"You like going to the movies?" Ranma asked curiously.  
Kasumi nodded, "Yes. How about you? Do you like movies?"  
"Not really," he answered, "I think it's because I have problems enjoying something especially when I know everything on the screen is fake. Besides, with the things I've been through, fact is definitely more interesting than fiction,"  
"Oh," she said.  
At that moment, the waiter arrived with their orders. Kasumi had ordered a salad while Ranma had ordered a large steak with mashed potatoes.  
"That's a rather unusual order," Kasumi giggled, "I figure something like that is usually served during dinner time, not lunch time,"  
"I'd order a western breakfast if I could," Ranma stated, "Unfortunately, not many diners around here serve western style meals. That's why I'm actually surprised that they actually serve something like that here and ordered it right away,"  
Kasumi smiled warmly, "You liked western style foods?"  
Ranma nodded, "Yeah. I especially like western style breakfast like sausage and eggs and hash browns and such,"  
"I've never made those before," Kasumi stated, "I can go to the library to take out a cook book that can show me how to make such a meal for you if you like,"  
Ranma smiled warmly at Kasumi, "Thanks, but there's no need. I don't wanna bother you. Besides, I no longer live at your place so there's no need to feed me,"  
"I don't mind," she commented, "It's no problem,"  
"Don't worry about it," Ranma said, touched by the offer, "There's no need,"  
"Okay," Kasumi said, "But if you ever feel a craving for a western meal, just let me know and I'll try my best to make something to your liking,"  
Ranma smiled warmly, "Thanks,"

Ranma walked Kasumi home after lunch. In his hands were several shopping bags full of groceries.  
"Hey, have you noticed that in television shows, whenever someone goes shopping, you always see a large stick of bread jutting out from the top of the grocery bag?" Ranma commented with a smirk.  
"Whatever do you mean?" Kasumi asked, confused, "You're carrying grocery bags but there isn't any bread sticking out,"  
Ranma said, "I know. I'm referring to television shows and such. You see it on television a lot but not in real life,"  
Kasumi said, "Well, I wouldn't be able to tell. I really don't watch much television. I usually busy tending to the house that I don't have time to watch television,"  
Ranma's lips became a thin line. He couldn't help but feel some form of resentment toward the other Tendos for allowing this to happen. Kasumi was only nineteen. Sure, she was very good at tending to the house, but she was still a young girl and should have time to enjoy other things to life instead of just slaving her day away tending to others.  
"Do you like tending to the house?" Ranma asked.  
"What do you mean?" she asked.  
Ranma shrugged, "I dunno. Y'know, stuff like doing the laundry and constantly cooking and cleaning up after people,"  
Kasumi smiled warmly, "I don't mind. Why do you ask that?"  
Ranma scratched his head, "I dunno. I feel like you're getting the short end of the stick with life. You're basically doing the menial labor of a housewife. Oh, I didn't mean to offend you with that comment,"  
"Ranma, I don't consider what I do menial," Kasumi said truthfully, her voice soft, "In terms of doing housework, I don't think of it along the lines of 'The work isn't going to do itself. Somebody's got to do it'. It's something I like to do,"  
"Really?" Ranma was surprised at the answer. He always felt Kasumi led a life of quiet desperation, that she wanted to be something else but couldn't because she needed to be the caretaker of the house.  
"It's something I'm also good at," Kasumi smiled warmly, "I'm good at what I do because I like doing it,"  
Ranma scratched his head, "Oh. I dunno, I always had the feeling that you wanted to do something other than tending to the house,"  
Kasumi shook her head, "Not at all. I actually think I'm the lucky one of the house,"  
"Huh?" Ranma was surprised to hear that, "How so?"  
"Because I already know what I like to do," Kasumi said, "Akane has no real idea what she wants to do later on in life. Nabiki has a general idea, that it has to do with business, but not exactly for sure,"  
"Really?" Ranma said, "That I didn't know. This is all news to me. I thought Nabiki had plans to attend some place like Tokyo University or whatever and major in business and probably eventually start up her own business. And Akane, I figure she'd be interested in being a sensei or such,"  
Kasumi said, "Nabiki knows she has a good sense in business, but there's no telling that she's going to pursue it more. Akane really has no idea what she plans on doing. Oddly enough, something you might find very surprising, Akane likes to do what I like to do,"  
"You mean stuff like cooking and cleaning and stuff?" Ranma asked.  
Kasumi nodded.  
"Whoa, that makes sense," Ranma realized. The Akane he knew did like to cook and clean and take care of the house. He always found it rather strange how a girl like Akane, a woman that would eventually become the strongest female martial artist in the world, didn't seem to even complain about taking care of Ranma's house. That was because she actually liked doing so. Heck, it also explained why Akane became a great cook, because she liked cooking and would eventually become very good at what she liked. Heck, that explained why she was also a very powerful martial artist, because she liked it as well.  
"What makes sense?" Kasumi asked.  
"Nothing really," he said with a smile, "I'm just surprised that I'm constantly learning new things every day,"

Ranma escorted Kasumi home and was surprised to Shampoo standing in front of the house.  
"So what do you plan on doing now?" Kasumi asked.  
Ranma said, "I'm gonna go to the town square and check out the bulletin board. Hopefully, I can find ad for a one-bedroom apartment,"  
He glanced toward the entrance where he noticed Shampoo.  
"Shampoo, what are you doing here?" Ranma asked.  
Shampoo gave Kasumi a rather nasty look, as if she was jealous of seeing Kasumi and her fiancee together and was thinking of something up to deal with her.  
"Hey," Ranma said loudly and even frightening voice, "Don't even THINK about it,"  
Shampoo said nothing, taken aback by the comment.  
Kasumi, realizing that three's a crowd and that it was obvious that Shampoo was there to talk to Ranma, excused herself and went into the house, bringing with her the few grocery bags that Ranma had been carrying for her.  
After she was gone, Ranma looked toward Shampoo.  
"How come you're here?" he asked, not feeling all that bad for scaring Shampoo in the first place. She needed to know that he would not tolerate something like that in the least bit.  
Shampoo's visage changed as she gave him a very happy smile, "Shampoo here to see husband,"  
"What?" Ranma said.  
"Great-grandmother here in Japan," Shampoo said confidently, "It not long before great-grandmother defeat Ranma and Ranma marry Shampoo,"  
Ranma smirked, "Heh, I guess you haven't met Cologne yet, huh?"  
"Why Ranma ask?" Shampoo was curious.  
"I already bumped into her earlier today," he answered, "I already defeated her,"  
Shampoo's eyes widened in surprise, "What? That impossible,"  
"Yeah, well, I've done some impossible things before," Ranma said, "I even told her that if I defeated her, she will head back to China and not come back,"  
"What?" Shampoo said in shock, "Ranma do that? What does that mean?"  
"Just that," Ranma said, "We made a deal. If she does defeat me, I'd marry you. But if I defeated her, she'd promise to go back to Joketsuzoku and not come back,"  
"Why Ranma go and do that?" Shampoo said as if angry at Ranma.  
Ranma said, "Because, I don't believe in your village's Amazon law. We were never a couple to begin with. When will you understand that?"  
"What Shampoo going to do now?" Shampoo asked, a sense of concern in the voice, "Shampoo no want to go back to village. Shampoo like living here in Japan,"  
Ranma shrugged, "Just live here without her since she won't be around,"  
"She come here to set up Chinese restaurant business and take care of Shampoo," Shampoo said angrily, "Now how Shampoo supposed to stay here in Japan with no one to take care of her? Shampoo no want to go back because great-  
grandmother have to go back,"  
"Oh shit, I never realized that," he said.  
"Now what Shampoo do?" Shampoo asked, concerned about herself.  
Ranma said, "What, you really don't want to go back to China?"  
"No," she answered, "Without great-grandmother here to take care of Shampoo, Shampoo have no where to go or live. Because of Ranma, now Shampoo have no place to live,"  
Ranma sighed, "Don't worry. I'll think of something to fix this up. I didn't realize it was gonna turn out like this. I'll do something to fix this up,"  
Shampoo asked, "Like how? Shampoo have no place to live,"  
Ranma sighed.  
It looks like he will be looking for a two-bedroom apartment.

"Where do you think we can find your great-grandmother?" Ranma asked as he and Shampoo walked down the street. He knew that looking for an apartment for the two of them would be a last resort. In the meanwhile, he wanted to find Cologne so he could take back his words about her leaving for China and not coming back. He needed to somehow talk her out of going back to China.  
Shampoo shrugged, "Shampoo not know. Shampoo got letter from great-grandmother that she contact Shampoo when she come to Japan today,"  
"Hey, have you ever thought of using the word 'I' or 'me' when referring to yourself instead of 'Shampoo'?" Ranma asked from out of the blue, "Y'know, not speak in the third-person,"  
"Shampoo not understand what Ranma mean," Shampoo said.  
"Nevermind," Ranma said, "Say, do you think she will visit you to say goodbye? Is there a certain place at a certain time where you're expected to meet her?"  
Shampoo shook her head, "Shampoo not know,"  
"Damn," he said, "Looks like we've gotta find her ourselves then. Man, having Logan's keen sense of smell would be great right now. I'd be able to find her in no time,"  
"Shampoo not know where to look first," Shampoo stated.  
Ranma scratched his head for a moment.  
"Hm, since we have no idea where to find her, we can let her find us instead," Ranma grinned as he came up with an idea, "Now, all I hafta do is find myself a large open lot,"  
"For what?" Shampoo asked.  
"To kill two birds with one stone," he stated.  
"And that being?" Shampoo asked.  
"To see how just how powerful I am and also get Cologne's attention,"  
"The Hiryu Shoten Ha?" Shampoo asked, "What's that?"  
"A technique I learned when I was, um, younger," Ranma said, "It's hard to explain how and where and when I learned it. Let's just say that I know a lotta techniques,"  
"What do you plan on doing?" she asked.  
"Getting your great-grandmother's attention," Ranma said, looking around, "Hm, this looks like a good place if any,"  
The two of them were standing in the middle of a large open field located in the outskirts of Nerima. He asked for Shampoo to step away from him and keep a good distance away from him to be safe.  
"A good hundred feet away should be good," he told Shampoo.  
She did as she was told, backing away to around a hundred feet away from Ranma, watching him curiously, wondering what he was about to do and what this new technique he was going to do.  
Once Shampoo was safely away from him, Ranma smirked.  
"All right, let's just see how much power this new body of mine packs," Ranma said, looking down at his hands. Shampoo watched as Ranma cocked his arm back and low toward the ground, twisting at the waist. A second later, he threw his hands up in the air in a vicious uppercut motion.  
"Hiryu Shoten Ha!" he shouted, letting loose a massive hurricane blast from his fists, sending it spiraling upwards toward the sky. The whirlwind grew quickly in diameter, expanding outward as the column of torrent winds shot upwards, engulfing Ranma in the process. It sucked up everything in the process, shooting up even the surrounding grounds where Ranma stood.  
When the whirlwind blast subsided, Ranma looked down at his hands and smirked.  
"Heh, it seems like this body can produce the same ki as when I was older," Ranma said, "I'm sure Cologne saw that. Whatcha think of that, Shampoo? Pretty cool, huh?"  
Ranma noticed Shampoo wasn't where he last saw her. After a second, he noticed that the outer ring from the blast seemed to have reached all the way up to where Shampoo had been.  
"Oh shit," he realized something.  
Looking up high into the air, he caught sight of Shampoo falling down from high in the sky.  
"Shampoo!" Ranma shouted, breaking out in a sprint in the direction of Shampoo's falling figure.  
The ground below Ranma's feet broke apart from the force Ranma exerted as he took off in a sprint. He shouted in concern Shampoo's name as he leapt high in the air to intercept Shampoo's falling descent, to catch her before she would be killed from hitting the ground.  
Shampoo was shrieking at the top of her lungs as she fell but stopped when she found herself in Ranma's arms as he caught her high in the air.  
"Don't worry, I've gotcha," he said, holding her tightly in his arms as they both fell down toward the terra firma fall below.  
Shampoo looked down and shrieked when she noticed how high up in the air they were. They were well over a hundred feet up in the air and the ground was rushing up toward them from below very quickly.  
"Wow, my strength grows stronger with every passing second," Ranma said, surprised. He knew for a fact that he couldn't jump this high when he was really sixteen. Perhaps his body was growing to house his mind. Where the mind went, the body would follow.  
It made Ranma wonder about something. If he had the mentality of that of God, did that mean his body would soon follow and possess the same powers? That would not be good. He didn't want that. He had had enough with the God-business and it was best left to someone else.  
"Ranma, we in trouble!" Shampoo's voice broke Ranma out of his reverie.  
Ranma looked down and noticed the ground rushing up from below them.  
"Don't worry," Ranma said in a reassuring voice.  
His voice seemed to calm Shampoo down as she stopped screaming but held on tightly to Ranma.  
Without much effort, Ranma landed on the ground softly, Shampoo in his arms.  
Shampoo had this stunned look on her face, shocked at what had just transpired. Several seconds ago, she had witnessed Ranma generate some kind of tornado from his fists, she had then found herself sucked high into the air with the winds a second after than, and then she found herself falling toward the ground and saved at the last second by Ranma.  
"W-what was that?" Shampoo asked.  
"Something to get Cologne's attention," Ranma smirked, "Sorry about what happened. I kinda underestimated myself and didn't realize my own strength. It seems like I need to work on being more precise with my techniques. Are you okay?"  
"Shampoo okay. Shampoo never saw something like that before," Shampoo said in astonishment, "What was that?"  
"That was the Hiryu Shoten Ha," he said.  
Sounds of sirens could be heard in the far off distance. It seemed like many people had seen the event transpire and had called the authorities to investigate. That was what Ranma wanted. He was pretty sure everyone around town had seen what had happened including Cologne. Of course, the only difference was that Cologne would recognize that that technique had been the Hiryu Shoten Ha and would want to investigate and see how was using such a technique in the first place.  
"Better leave, police coming," Shampoo said.  
"Don't worry about it," Ranma said, "We're alone out here so no one knows what happened. They'll show up but won't be able to do anything to us. I'll just tell them we were curious and came here to investigate like everyone else,"  
Shampoo scratched her head, "Shampoo not really understand how this able to get great-grandmother's attention,"  
"Shampoo," came a voice.  
Ranma smirked as he and Shampoo turned around and caught sight of a lone figure standing on top of a staff. It was none other than Cologne. She had this surprised look on her face. This was because she was positive that she had seen the Hiryu Shoten Ha in action, and not only that, but seeing Ranma again meant only one thing, that Ranma somehow know that powerful technique.  
Ranma smiled.  
"Just the person I'm looking for,"

new stuff 12/4

"Great-grandmother, Shampoo so happy to see you," Shampoo said in glee, running forward to give Cologne a hug.  
"Shampoo, child, it's good to see you," Cologne said warmly.  
Ranma stood back and quietly regarded Shampoo as she and Cologne spoke to one another, Shampoo commenting on how happy she was to see her and inquiring about her having to go back to China.  
"I had made a deal with Ranma," Cologne said to Shampoo, "I have been defeated and will uphold my end of the deal,"  
"Aiya," Shampoo said.  
Ranma cleared his throat.  
"Ranma," Cologne said turning toward Ranma, her first question at the tip of her tongue. She had wanted to ask him such a question the moment he saw him but had been distracted when she realized Shampoo had been with him.  
"Yep, in the flesh," he grinned.  
"Was that-"  
Ranma nodded, "Yeah, the Hiryu Shoten Ha,"  
"H-how?" she asked.  
"Don't worry about that," he said, "I used it to get your attention, which, obviously, worked. I can tell you about how I know that technique another time. There's something I wanted to talk to you about,"  
"What is it?" she asked, her voice solemn, "You wanted to gloat about having defeated me?"  
Shampoo said, "Aiya, Shampoo can't believe Ranma defeat great-grandmother,"  
"Yes, I lost to him," Cologne seemed to show no signs of embarrassment in admitting. Ranma couldn't help but give her a high level or respect for that.  
"About that," Ranma said, "I'd like for you to stay,"  
"What?" Cologne asked, "Stay?"  
"Yeah," Ranma nodded, "I never realized that your going back to China will mean Shampoo has no one to take care of her. We can't have that happen,"  
"Well, I had originally come here to start up a business," Cologne said after a brief pause, "My fight with you, and along with my defeat, changes everything,"  
"Oh?" Ranma asked, not too sure if that was good news or bad news.  
"I can't stay," Cologne said, "I must uphold my end of the deal,"  
Ranma said, "I wanna change that. I take back my wager with you on you going back to China if you were defeated. You can stay here, so you can take care of Shampoo,"  
Cologne shook her head, "I can't do that,"  
"Why, it's some kinda Amazon law that states so?" Ranma muttered, almost annoyed. How come things never seemed to ever want to go his way?  
Cologne nodded, "Yes, I can't stay. I have lost and I have to uphold my end of the deal, that being my going back to China,"  
Ranma found himself getting a headache, "So what does that mean, that you're not going to stay, not even to take care of Shampoo like you were supposed to?"  
"That is right," Cologne said, "I won't stay,"  
"C'mon," Ranma muttered in annoyance, "Screw that Amazon law crap. You're more willing to uphold your Amazon laws and basically abandon Shampoo here in Japan than to disregard your Amazon laws and stay here to take care of her?"  
"That's right," Cologne said confidently.  
"How about I tell you how I know the Hiryu Shoten Ha technique if you stay?" Ranma tried, figuring it couldn't hurt to try, "I promise you it'll be probably one of the greatest stories you'llve ever heard in your life,"  
Cologne shook her head, "I can't. I have to and will uphold my end of the deal,"  
Ranma pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on.  
Cologne looked at Shampoo, "If you want, child, you can come back with me,"  
"Shampoo no want to leave," Shampoo said earnestly, taking a step back, "Shampoo want to stay,"  
Ranma waved Cologne off, anger very evident on his face.  
"Don't worry about her," Ranma said with almost a sneer, "I'll take care of her. Have fun back in China. Pride and honor before family, huh? What a bunch of rubbish. Now that I've realized you'd rather uphold those Amazon laws you have over taking care of Shampoo, whom needs you around to take care of her, I'm glad we'll never meet again because I don't ever want to meet a person like you. I don't need people like you in my life,"  
Cologne was taken aback by the comment.  
Ranma spoke with wisdom far beyond his years. That was very obvious. There was a maturity in his words that astonished her.  
"Is that all you have to say?" Cologne said calmly, her voice hiding her surprise.  
"Yeah," Ranma said, walking away.  
Shampoo and Cologne looked at one another.  
"Don't worry, great-grandmother, Shampoo in good hands," was all that Shampoo said before she turned around and began heading off after Ranma, "Ranma, offer to watch over Shampoo since you won't,"  
Cologne sadly watched as Shampoo and Ranma disappeared around a corner a good distance away.  
She sighed before she turned around and headed off.

Shampoo stood nearby Ranma as Ranma leafed through a phone book as they stood by a telephone booth.  
"What Ranma looking for?" Shampoo asked. "Real estate businesses," he answered, "Since you're going to be with me and I'm not gonna be looking for a one-bedroom apartment, I might as well look for a house to rent out,"  
Shampoo's eyes widened in delight, "Shampoo and Ranma live in house together?"  
"Yeah," he said.  
"Shampoo so happy," Shampoo said happily, glomping onto Ranma from behind.  
Ranma broke away from Shampoo's embrace, "Hey, will you quit it?"  
"What Shampoo do wrong?" she asked.  
"Dontcha understand? We are not engaged," he said in a stern voice, "I have NO romantic interest in you whatsoever. I defeated your great-grandmother so our engagement is void,"  
Shampoo said, "What, Ranma no want to be engaged to Shampoo,"  
"It's not that," he said.  
"So Ranma do want to be engaged to Shampoo," Shampoo smiled.  
"Shampoo, get it through that pretty little head of yours," Ranma said in exasperation, "We are not engaged. We will never be engaged,"  
"But we live will live together," Shampoo stated, "It only natural that we-"  
"Fine, then you can live on your own," Ranma said, "I'll rent you and myself separate apartments instead of a house for the both of us. I'll take care of all your living expenses and make sure you never hafta worry about money and such,"  
Shampoo was silent.  
"Do you want it that way?" Ranma said, "If you're going to go on thinking that you and I are engaged, then you better tell me now so I can start looking for two separate apartments instead of a house,"  
"Shampoo no want that," she said after a moment, "Shampoo would rather live with Ranma,"  
Ranma said, "Okay, but that means none of this glomping onto me stuff,"  
"S-Shampoo understand," she said.  
"We are to live together," he added, "And that's it. If you think that there's anything more than that, you're mistaken. You might as well save yourself all that grief and choose to live on your own if that's gonna be the case,"  
"No, Shampoo understand," Shampoo said, "Shampoo no want to live alone. Shampoo much rather live with Ranma than alone,"  
Ranma said, "Okay,"  
Secretly, he had hoped she would choose to live with him instead of on her own. He felt like it was his obligation to take care of her, seeing as he was the reason why Cologne was no longer around to take care of her in the first place Shampoo stood quietly as she watched Ranma scan through the phone book. After a minute, Ranma ripped out a page and placed it in his pocket.  
"All right, let's get going,"

Ranma and Shampoo walked down the street.  
"What are you looking for?" Shampoo asked curiously. She noticed Ranma seemed to be looking back and forth along the sidewalk for something in particular but she didn't know what.  
"Money," he said, "I'm broke and need some money. You wouldn't happen to have a hundred yen, would you?"  
"Shampoo have no money," Shampoo said sadly.  
"Don't worry," he said dismissively, "We can get by,"  
"How?" Shampoo asked, "Don't we need money to get house?"  
"Well, I can always ask Soun to lend me some money if need be, but I don't really wanna hafta do that if I don't hafta," he said, "All I need is a hundred yen. All right!"  
Ranma smiled happily as he spotted a hundred yen coin on the underside of a small delivery truck.  
Walking over to the truck, he grabbed the back bumper and lifted the vehicle up with ease, "Shampoo, can you climb underneath and grab that coin for me please?"  
Shampoo stood where he was, staring at Ranma in shock. The truck probably weighed close to five thousand pounds and Ranma was lifting the back of it up with no signs of strain. How strong was Ranma to be able to lift so much weigh without struggle?  
"I can't hold this up for long," Ranma smirked. Actually, he probably could but his impatience at just standing there holding something up would give out before his muscles did. He felt kind of stupid standing there holding up the back of a truck.  
Shampoo quickly went under the truck and picked up the hundred yen coin Ranma had spotted. When she climbed back out, Ranma placed the truck down as Shampoo continued to stare at him.  
"Cool, now we're in business," Ranma said, accepting the coin as Shampoo handed it to him.  
"How you do that?" Shampoo asked in astonishment, "Truck very heavy. How Ranma lift truck like that? Shampoo never seen anyone lift so much weight so easily,"  
Ranma shrugged, "I dunno, it just happens. I dunno how I got so strong,"  
He assumed it was because of his mind, that possessing a mentality used to being strong physically was subconsciously forcing the body to grow strong to accommodate such a mentality.  
"Um, what Ranma do with coin?" Shampoo asked, gesturing.  
"I'm gonna do what rich people do," Ranma smirked, "And that's using money to make me money,"  
"How so?" she scratched her head, "It only one hundred yen,"  
"Follow me," he said.  
Shampoo followed Ranma as he walked down to the end of the block where there was a convenience store. Following him inside, she watched as Ranma bought himself one of those scratch tickets with that one hundred yen. It was one of those tickets a person would scratch using a coin that usually relied on a game of chance in terms of winning money. The ticket Ranma bought was called tic-tac-  
toe which had nine squares lined up like that of a tic-tac-toe. If three of those scratched off boxes matched, the buyer could win a certain amount of money depending on what symbols lined up correctly.  
"Ranma think he can win money this way?" Shampoo asked.  
"Yep,"

"Ranma win so much money," Shampoo said happily, looking at the large wad of cash in her hands as she and Ranma walked down the street together.  
Ranma said, "Yeah, it sure beats robbing a bank. Why didn't I think of doing this before?"  
Shampoo cast Ranma a curious look. Although she didn't know Ranma all that well, she assumed that Ranma was joking around.  
"How much money Ranma win?" Shampoo handed the money back to Ranma, "Why Ranma give winning ticket to cashier?"  
"We won only a little over two hundred thousand yen," he said, "It isn't nearly as much as what that ticket was worth. The ticket would've won us over ten times the amount, but because it takes time to claim the money and such, about a three day, I opted to give the winning ticket to the cashier in exchange for less money so that we have money right away instead of having to wait,"  
"Ranma very lucky," Shampoo said, "That game of chance and Ranma won lots,"  
"I'm lucky?" Ranma pointed to himself. He burst out laughing, "I highly doubt it,"  
"What Ranma do with money?" she asked, "This money go toward renting house?"  
"Yeah," he nodded, "This'll be enough for two months rent and the deposit so we're good to go, provided we find a decent place to rent,"  
Ranma and Shampoo walked down the street together.  
The two of them had spent a couple of hours checking out for decent places to rent out and eventually settled on a rather beautiful, fully furnished house. They could move in as soon as they wanted.  
They were on their way toward an abandoned lot where Shampoo had been living for the past several days since her arrival. "A tent, huh?" Ranma said, "I didn't know you've been living in a tent all that time. Well, there's no need to worry about it anymore. All we gotta do is grab your stuff and move you into our new place,"  
"Shampoo so happy," she said, "Ground hard when living in tent. It will be nice to sleep in bed,"  
Ranma chuckled, "I know. I remember those days. Living in a tent isn't all that fun, especially during the winter season. Waking up and getting dressed in the freezing cold interior of the tent is not fun," "What we do about money?" Shampoo asked, "Great grandmother plan on starting business in Japan to make money,"  
Ranma sighed, "Man, things never seem to ever wanna work out fine nice and easy,"  
"Ranma?" came a voice, a female voice.  
Ranma looked up and was surprised to see Akane. "Hey, Akane," Ranma smiled, "What's up? School's over I see. On your way home?"  
Akane nodded after a moment, "Yes. Um, surprising seeing both you and Shampoo all of a sudden. Where were you two headed?"  
Ranma jerked a thumb toward Shampoo, "Shampoo and I were looking around for a place to rent. We found a nice fully furnished house. We're on our way to the abandoned lot to pick up Shampoo's stuff to bring it to the house,"  
"S-Shampoo's going to be living with you?" Akane seemed in a state of shock.  
"Yeah," he said.  
"H-how come?" Akane managed to ask.  
"I bumped into her great-grandmother earlier today," Ranma said with a sigh, "Unfortunately, I defeated her and she left to head back to China. Because of that, she isn't here to take care of Shampoo like she was supposed to. Because it's my fault that this happened, I opted to take care of Shampoo,"  
Akane seemed stunned at what she heard.  
Shampoo smirked toward Akane, "Yeah, Ranma and I live together,"  
Ranma narrowed his eyes toward Shampoo, "Yeah, and that's it. Don't think just because we're gonna be living together means anything more than that. You're going to be sleeping in your own bed in your own room. Try anything funny and you're gonna find yourself living alone in a big house because I WILL move out at the drop of a hat if I hafta,"  
Shampoo said nothing. Ranma said, "Anyway, Akane, I'm gonna go with Shampoo to get her stuff and help bring them to the house. After I'm done, I'll be swinging by to teach class. I've got about an hour and a half before class starts so I should have plenty of time,"  
"Um, er, okay," was all Akane could say.  
"Ah, welcome back, Ranma," Kasumi greeted Ranma warmly, "Here to teach you class? How was your day?"  
She was outside the house sweeping the sidewalk when she spotted Ranma approaching the house.  
Ranma nodded, "Yeah. My day was fine,"  
"I saw you and Shampoo a short while ago," Kasumi commented.  
"Oh?" Ranma asked, "When was this?"  
"About twenty minutes ago," she stated, "I had realized I had forgotten to buy some onions and was on my way to the supermarket to get some when I spotted the two of you. I noticed you both carrying things,"  
Ranma said, "Oh. You probably caught us as we were carrying her stuff to the house,"  
"The house?" she asked, "Oh, you found a place to rent already?"  
Ranma nodded.  
"That's good to hear," she smiled warmly.  
Ranma went about describing the place and how close it was too the dojo as Kasumi listened attentively. "It's a full house," he said, "Shampoo'll be living with me,"  
"Really?" Kasumi was surprised to hear that.  
"Yeah," Ranma nodded, "I offered to take care of her because I did something stupid which resulted in her great-grandmother going back to China and she no longer being around to take care of Shampoo,"  
"Oh my," Kasumi said, "Is that why you're taking care of her, because it's your fault?"  
Ranma gave a meek smile, "To put it bluntly, yes. You hit the nail right on the head,"  
"So where's Shampoo now?" Kasumi asked curiously.  
Ranma jerked a thumb over his shoulder, "Shampoo's back at the house decorating it. I gave her what little remaining money I had left to go out and buy things like shades and bed sheets and such. She didn't seem to mind,"  
"How about your stuff, have you moved your stuff into the house yet?" she asked.  
"Not yet," he answered, "I'll go home with Mrs. Hyusa after class and pick up my stuff and say goodbye after class,"  
"Well, it's nice to hear that you've already found yourself a place to stay," Kasumi said, sweetly.  
"Thanks," Ranma said, "Well, I'm gonna head in and get changed and get ready to teach. Students'll be showing up real soon,"  
"Okay," she said, "Have fun teaching,"  
Ranma entered the house and went into the dojo where he found Akane working up a frenzy doing katas. With a quick glance at her, Ranma knew that something was on her mind and she was doing katas to clear it.  
There were no students in the class at the moment, Ranma having showed up at the house about a half hour before class was expected to start. Students didn't start showing up until around fifteen minutes before class started.  
He leaned against the doorjamb to the front entrance of the dojo and watched Akane do her katas for a moment. When Akane noticed him, she stopped what she was doing.  
"Don't worry about me," Ranma said, "Please, continue,"  
"You're here early," Akane said, her voice cold.  
"Not at all," he answered, "I said I was going help get Shampoo's stuff to the house and then heading on over here. I'm done dropping her stuff off,"  
"Where's Shampoo?" Akane asked, her voice a bit cold, "I figured she'd be with you since you seem to like hanging out with her,"  
Ranma noticed the cold attitude Akane was giving him and figured he should reciprocate by not telling her what he had told Kasumi.  
He ignored the question as he went into the locker room to get changed. He had noticed Akane stood there as if awaiting for him to answer her question but made no effort to answer her.  
After getting changed, Ranma exited the locker room and saw Akane going about with her katas again, more vigorously. He also noticed several female students now entering the dojo and stretching in the back of the room.  
"Hey, girls," Ranma said, approaching the group.  
"Good afternoon, sensei," the students said in unison, bowing to him.  
"Keiko. Rishi. You two should wear bras when you wear a dogi," Ranma said, grinned, "When you bowed like that, guess what I saw,"  
"Ranma!" both of them said, blushing as they closed up the front of their outfits.  
Ranma chuckled.  
"I'll be sure to teach some grappling techniques today," Ranma chuckled, "You two can step up and help me with my demonstrations,"  
"Pervert!" all girls said.  
"Hey, if you're ever interested in having a place to stay, like I said before, you can stay at my place," one girl offered, giving him a smile.  
"Thanks anyway," Ranma said, "However, that won't be a problem anymore. I found a place of my own,"  
"Already?" one girl asked, "That was rather quick,"  
"Yeah," he nodded, "A house,"  
"Really?" another girl asked, "You should throw a party,"  
"A party?" he asked.  
"Yeah," they all said.  
"Why a party?" he asked, "Who would I invite?"  
"You can invite the class," another girl suggested, "I'm sure many of us wouldn't mind. You'd probably throw a great party,"  
"Hm, that sounds interesting,"  
"Class, if I throw a party, who here would like to attend?" Ranma asked the class from out of the blue. He had decided to ask this around halfway through teaching class.  
"A party? What kind of party?" one student asked.  
"I found myself a place of my own this afternoon," Ranma said, "Someone suggested that I throw a moving-in party so I figure since you guys are the only people I really know, I should throw this by you,"  
"It sounds like a good idea," another student stated.  
"All right, tomorrow, at my place, we'll have a party," Ranma said, "Who here would like to attend? That way, I will have a general idea of how much stuff I should get?"  
More than half the class raised their hands.  
"Will there be alcohol?" one student asked.  
"Nope," Ranma said, "You're gonna hafta make do without it. Besides, the last thing I want is for a party full of drunk girls,"  
He didn't like the thought of what would happen if many of the girls got drunk at the party. It would take him all night to carry each and every one of them home. "Where's this party going to take place?" one student asked, "When?"  
"My place," he answered, "Around, say, nine,"  
"Where is your place?" she asked, "What's the address?"  
Ranma scratched his head.  
"I have no idea what the address is,"

"I can't believe you're going to be living with Shampoo," Akane asked Ranma after he was done teaching class.  
"What, you're jealous?" Ranma smirked.  
"No!" she said defensively.  
"Well you shouldn't since Shampoo and I are nothing more than friends," Ranma added, "If Shampoo believes otherwise, she'll be in for a surprise,"  
Akane asked, "What made you want to throw a party?"  
"One of the students suggested it," he shrugged, "It sounded like a good idea so why not?"  
"Um," Akane tried to say.  
"Of course you're invited," Ranma said, "Not just the students in the class are invited. Everyone's invited. If you want, invite your friends from school,"  
Akane smiled slightly.  
"Well, I'm gonna get going," Ranma said, "I need to go talk to Mrs. Hyusa. I have stuff at her place I need to pick up,"  
"Um, okay," Akane said.  
Ranma excused himself and walked over to Mrs. Hyusa as she was coming out of the locker room.  
"So, you plan on throwing a party?" Mrs. Hyusa asked.  
She had been in class when Ranma had mentioned it and was very surprised. She had no idea Ranma had found a place to live already. She didn't wait until after class had ended to ask him several questions.  
Ranma nodded, "Yeah. I moved into a new place only a few hours ago,"  
"I assume you'll be picking up your stuff tonight?" she asked.  
"Yep," he said.  
"What a shame," Mrs. Hyusa said, "And I was getting used to having you around. I'm sure my daughter will be disappointed,"  
Ranma gave a shrug, "Well, I guess it can't be helped. My staying at your place was only a temporary thing,"  
"I understand," she said, "But I figured you would be staying for a little while longer. You barely stayed a couple of days,"  
Ranma said, "Well, don't think I didn't mind staying at your place. I had fun during my brief stay. It's just that I don't wanna impose on people if I don't hafta,"  
"You weren't imposing at all," Mrs. Hyusa stated.  
"Thanks," he said, "I'm glad to hear that,"  
"Will you be coming to my place tonight to pick up your stuff?" she asked.  
Ranma nodded, "Yeah. If you don't mind,"  
"I don't mind,"

new stuff 12/5

Ranma was in the car with Mrs. Hyusa.  
"So, where's your new place?" she asked as she drove along.  
"Pretty close to the dojo," he said, "If you want, we can pass right by it on the way back to your place, that is, if you're up to it,"  
The house was located close to the Kuno's. It turned out that the Kuno's lived in a rather posh area of Nerima and Ranma had rented out a house in that portion of the neighborhood. "I don't mind," she said.  
"Okay," he said, "Just head down this street and make a right,"  
Mrs. Hyusa did as she was told, driving down the street and turning right. She followed Ranma's instructions. "This is a nice neighborhood," Mrs. Hyusa stated, "How can you afford to rent a house in such a place?"  
Ranma said, "I can. Money isn't really all that much an issue with me. I can always scrounge up money if I need it,"  
"That's good to hear," Mrs. Hyusa said.  
Ranma pointed out the window, "Here. You see that house with the large front yard? That's gonna be my place,"  
Mrs. Hyusa regarded the house. It was a large house with a large front yard, perfect for throwing a party. Oddly enough, she couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia as she looked at that house. Many years ago, she and her husband had been looking around for a house to buy and settle into to raise a family and they had actually checked that house out as a prospect. She vaguely remembered that this was one of the few houses she liked. Oddly enough, while the house was nice, she and her husband decided it was best to build a house of their own and ended up settling in the neighboring town.  
"You have really good tastes," Mrs. Hyusa said.  
She glanced over toward Ranma and noticed he seemed distracted.  
"Something the matter?" she asked.  
"Look," he pointed out the front windshield. In the distance, a dark column of smoke could be seen rising high up into the air.  
"Looks like there's a fire," Mrs. Hyusa stated.  
"Can we go check it out?" he asked.  
Mrs. Hyusa asked, "What for? The fire department can take care of it,"  
"You shouldn't assume such things," Ranma said, "For all we know, some people might need our help and the fire truck hasn't gotten there yet. I think it's best that we go check it out, in case someone might need our help,"  
Mrs. Hyusa smiled warmly, "My, that's awfully altruistic of you. I admire that,"  
She put the car into gear and sped off down the street in the direction of the fire.

"My God, that's the Kuno estate!" Ranma's eyes widened as he recognized the burning house. There were no fire trucks around but the sounds of sirens could be heard in the distance.  
"What?" Mrs. Hyusa asked.  
Her words were lost as she glanced over and saw Ranma climbing out of the car.  
"Where are you going?" she asked.  
"To see if anyone's in trouble," he said, glancing back over his shoulder before he took a leap over the large fence surrounding the front entrance of the large home.  
Ranma dashed across the vast front yard and toward the smoldering house. There was this very evident feeling of concern in his heart as he worried over the Kuno's and Kodachi's well-being. Sure, they were annoying as hell, but that didn't mean he wanted them to get hurt in something like a fire.  
"How did a fire happen?" Ranma asked himself, "I don't remember the Kuno's ever having had a fire break out in their home,"  
Things didn't make sense. Even though Kuno wasn't around in his life all that much when he was young, Ranma was positive that if something like a fire broke out in the Kuno estate, people around school would know about it and he would eventually know about it as well.  
Ranma noticed that the top floor of the Kuno estate was burning. As he approached the front entrance, he noticed several staff members rushing out of the house, running for their lives.  
"What happened?" he asked one random worker, a gardener, as he approached the front entrance as that man was exiting, coughing all the while.  
"I don't know," the man answered, "These two winged creatures came from out of nowhere and starting causing destruction,"  
"Winged creatures?" Ranma asked.  
"I don't know," the man said, "One was large and one was small. The large one started fighting with Kodachi-sama for no reason. When Tatewaki-sama came to help, the smaller creature did something that ended up causing the house to burst up in flames,"  
"Where are they now, Tatewaki and Kodachi?" Ranma asked.  
"Still inside," the man answered, "They were both fighting the winged creatures in the upstairs in Kodachi's room. Are you a friend of hers or Tatewaki?"  
"Um, more or less," Ranma said, "Thanks for the info,"  
"Please, help them out," the man said in a pleading voice.  
Without saying another word, not wanting to waste any more time talking, Ranma ran into the house. Vaguely remember the layout of the Kuno estate from when he was young, Ranma headed for the stairs and up toward Kodachi's room.  
Upstairs, he noticed there was a layer of smoke building up in the ceiling. Looking up, he followed where the smoke was emanating from and headed toward the room.  
Entering Kodachi's bedroom, he was shocked at what he saw.  
Standing in the middle of the large bedroom was Kodachi and a winged female. Both of them were in battle stances. Standing near them, observing them was a young-looking boy standing right near an unconscious Kuno. In the boy's hand was what looked like a scepter that was taller than the boy holding it. Ranma recognized the scepter. It was the Kinjakan, a very powerful weapon Saffron used that produces tremendous heat.  
The bed and back portion of the bedroom were currently on fire and slowly spreading. The smoke Ranma had seen had been the smoke escaping out of the bedroom through the open window.  
The room seemed like it was a battlefield, debris everywhere, feathers sticking all over the walls.  
"What the?" Ranma recognized the boy, "You're Saffron! What the hell?"  
The young boy, hearing his name, turned his attention toward Ranma. "Who the heck are you?" Saffron asked, regarding Ranma curiously but cautiously.  
Ranma looked at the winged-female with a scabbard holding a sword by her hip and recognized her as well.  
"Kiima!" Ranma said, "What the hell are you two doing here?"  
The winged female named Kiima turned her attention away from Kodachi to regard the young man that entered the room.  
"How do you know my name?" Kiima asked in surprise.  
"Ranma?" Kodachi's eyes widened in surprise at the sight of Ranma. She remained in her battle stance, still facing Kiima.  
Unfortunately for Kodachi, the brief moment of distraction was enough for Kiima as she dashed forward and kicked Kodachi right in the chest, sending her flying backwards where she slammed against the wall right by Ranma and slumped to the floor unconscious.  
"What's going on here?" Ranma asked.  
"It's best you leave unless you want to end up like them," the young kid said, gesturing toward Kuno's and Kodachi's unconscious bodies. "You did this?" Ranma asked Saffron, gesturing toward the fire starting to run rampant in the back of the bedroom. It wouldn't be long before the fire spread to the rest of the house.  
Saffron laughed, "Perhaps,"  
Ranma extended a hand toward the fire and shot a ki-blast in its general direction, destroying the wall that was burning, incinerating the burning fire along with it. Aside from the large gaping hole in the back wall that opened up into a clear view of the backyard and some remnants of smoke, the fire had been put out.  
Ranma smirked as he crossed his arms in front of his chest as he leaned against the doorjamb, "Care to explain what happened?"  
"I don't need to explain anything to a landling like you," Saffron sneered, "And how do you know my name?"  
"I don't need to explain anything to a bird-boy like you," Ranma replied back, smirking. He was every good at verbal confrontations as physical ones so he didn't really care.  
"Why you insolent-" Saffron sneered coldly, bringing his scepter up as if to attack Ranma.  
"I wouldn't if I were you," Ranma grinned, "You have no idea how strong I am and you're biting off far more than you can chew if you try going up against someone like myself,"  
Saffron laughed, "Foolish mortal, you think a threat like that would work on someone like myself?"  
Ranma laughed along side Saffron. The mockery made Saffron stop and sneer toward Ranma. This made Ranma laugh even more.  
Saffron, was, afterall, a young boy. A prince, Saffron was used to being pampered so that meant he was also spoiled. Therefore, he was unused to defiance and such.  
"How do you know our names?" Kiima asked.  
Ranma looked around the room where he caught sight of a letter lying on the floor right by his feet. He picked it up and glanced at it.  
'I, Kodachi Kuno, challenge you to a duel. How dare you engage yourself to Ranma Saotome against his will? I will defeat you and null your engagement to him so that he will be freed from your clutches and freed to marry a woman worthy of him, that being myself. I am ready to fight you at any time you desire.'  
Holy crap, Ranma realized. Kodachi took my claim that Kiima was my fiancee seriously and challenged her. That's gotta be why they're here, to investigate.  
"How do you know our names?" Kiima asked, "That woman called you Ranma. Are you that Ranma that she spoke about?"  
"Yeah," he said.  
"She said something about us being fiancees," Kiima said, "That's not possible. I've never met you before,"  
"This is that Ranma person?" Saffron shouted.  
Without pausing to hear and explanation, he swung his weapon towards Ranma.  
Ranma caught it without effort and yanked it out of Saffron's hands. He smirked when he noticed the shocked look on Saffron's face upon seeing how easily Ranma had seized his weapon. "Give that back!" Saffron shouted toward Ranma.  
Ranma threw the weapon back at Saffron as the young boy caught it. There was a surprised look on his face.  
"Attack me again and you're not getting your precious little staff back," Ranma said, "You have no idea who you're dealing with,"  
"So? You have no idea who you're dealing with," Saffron retorted.  
Ranma smirked, "Don't make me laugh. You're a spoiled brat with a glass jaw. You're not even worth my time,"  
"Why you! How dare you speak of Saffron-sama in that way!" Kiima shouted at Ranma as she dashed toward him from behind, intent on slashing at him with those sharp claw-like fingers of hers.  
She found herself slashing at the air as Ranma ducked the attack and pivoted around behind her. "Dontcha know it's not nice to attack a guy from behind? Let's see how you like it," he slapped her hard in the backside, causing her to yelp out in surprise.  
"You jerk!" was all Kiima could come up with. She had this massive blush on her cheeks. She had never been slapped in the butt before and had no real idea how to react.  
Ranma smirked, "Ouch, that comment hurt,"  
"How dare you!" Saffron sneered.  
"I dare," Ranma grinned.  
Saffron took a swing at him with his weapon to which Ranma grabbed again and yanked it out of the young boy's hands. Ranma twirled the weapon in his hand as he grinned, "You're outta your league, kid,"

new stuff 12/7

"I am not!" Saffron shouted back.  
"Am, too,"  
"Am not!"  
"Am, too,"  
"Am not!"  
"Whatever," Ranma gave up with a shrugged. He had to remember he was talking to a young Saffron. Saffron was basically that of a young boy so it was useless arguing against someone like him in terms of 'Am not' and 'Am, too'.  
"Don't ignore me!" Kiima shouted toward Ranma.  
"Whaaaaaat?" Ranma said in whiny and annoyed voice.  
"How dare you grope me!" she shouted.  
Ranma said, "Grope you? I did no such thing,"  
"Did, too," she shouted.  
"Did not!"  
"Did, too,"  
Ranma pinched the bridge of his nose, "Look, say what y'wanna say. I don't care,"  
"You pervert! You touched my butt!" she said in a cold voice.  
Ranma shoved his hand down the front of his pants, "Ooh, look, I'm fondling myself. I guess that means I'm indirectly rubbing my you know what up against your butt,"  
"Eeek!" Kiima blushed a deep shade of red, "Stop that! Quit doing that!"  
Ranma said, "Man, both you and Saffron are weird, y'know that?"  
"How dare you say that about me!" Saffron shouted.  
"Argh!" Ranma muttered, "So aggrevating,"  
He made a shooing motion with his hand.  
"Go away," he said, "Shoo shoo. Go fly away,"  
"I will not!" Saffron retorted.  
Ranma turned around and headed out of the bedroom, "Fine, I'll leave then,"  
There was no reason for him to be there anyway. All he wanted to do was make sure everything was all right. The fire was out so the Kuno Estate was no longer in danger of burning down. Both Kuno and Kodachi were unconscious and would wake up eventually. They'll both probably have a massive headache but that couldn't be helped.  
Ranma knew Saffron and Kiima well enough, at least from his world, that they would never do something like kill someone needlessly. Saffron wasn't really a bad person, afterall. He probably would've put out the fire had Ranma not done so instead. It was just that his and Ranma's personality didn't quite mesh that well together.  
"Don't you dare turn your back to us," Saffron shouted.  
"What?" Ranma said, turning back toward the two of them, "What do you want? What, you wanna fight me? Why the heck would y'wanna fight me anyway? Dontcha realize I can kick your ass faster than you can realize your ass was kicked. I don't wanna fight you,"  
Saffron laughed, "Of course, you don't want to fight me because you know I'll win,"  
"Riiiight," Ranma said.  
"Fine, you may leave," Saffron said with a smirk, "I shall let you live,"  
"Oh, thank you, sir," Ranma said sarcastically, "You're too kind,"  
"Saffron-sama, must you?" Kiima asked, "T-that man violated me,"  
"What?" Ranma's eyes widened, "You just said I was groping you and now you're saying I violated you! What the heck's wrong with you, woman!"  
Saffron said, "That's right. We can't let him go after having done something like that,"  
"Gee, thanks a lot, Kiima," Ranma muttered. He said, "Okay, since you have no intention of letting me go, what do you intend to do? Fight me? You're NOT going to beat me. You're simply not. You're in over your fool head,"  
Saffron smirked confidently, "We'll see. I'm confident that I will not only defeat you, but I'll have you begging for mercy,"  
"Riiiiight," Ranma said.  
"I will even bet Kiima's services that I will defeat you," Saffron said, brining his weapon forward, pointing it toward Ranma.  
"Huh?" Ranma asked. "If you defeat me, I shall give you anything you want," Saffron said confidently. Since he knew he wasn't going to lose, making such a wager didn't matter.  
Ranma gave him an odd look, "Huh?"  
He was confused about what he was hearing. What on Earth could he be thinking to think of making such a wager like that? But then again, Saffron was also a young kid. That mean he had this na ve belief that he was invincible and the greatest, having never been humbled before and taught otherwise.  
Ranma glanced toward Kiima, wondering if asking her if Saffron really was that na ve a boy to think something like that but decided against it.  
Saffron noticed Ranma glancing toward Kiima.  
"Very well, if you defeat me, I shall let you have Kiima," Saffron said, "She shall become your servant,"  
"What?" Ranma and Kiima shouted.  
Saffron dashed toward Ranma before Ranma could say anything. Unfortunately for Saffron, he tried attacking Ranma's back as Ranma had been facing Kiima. Ranma, without thought, his body moving under its own accord, a complete reflexive reaction, sensed the danger approaching him from behind and reacted.  
Ranma whirled around and slapped the incoming scepter from his hand. Unfortunately, he hit it in a way that the scepter flew up and backwards, hitting Saffron right in the face.  
The young boy fell to the ground unconscious.  
"Saffron-sama!" Kiima rushed past Ranma to kneel down by Saffron's unconscious body.  
Ranma felt himself getting a headache. He pinched the bridge of his nose. He had just accidentally defeated Saffron after Saffron had just made a bet that he would let Ranma have Kiima as a servant had he lost to Ranma.  
"You've got to be kidding me,"

"W-where am I?" Saffron stirred awake.  
"Are you okay, Saffron-sama? Kiima asked, very concerned.  
Saffron had taken a pretty nasty hit to the face when he got struck with his own scepter. He was currently lying on the floor in the middle of the room. Kuno and Kodachi were also unconscious in the room.  
"You!" Saffron's eyes widened when he recognized Ranma standing near him.  
He glanced over toward the side where he saw, Kiima, "Kiima, what happened? Everything went black before,"  
"R-Ranma...h-he defeated you, Saffron-sama," Kiima said in a sad voice, looking down at the floor as she knelt right by him.  
"What?" Saffron shouted.  
"I did not," Ranma quickly said, "I did not defeat you,"  
He didn't want to end up having Kiima following him around if Saffron kept to his word. He wanted to convince Saffron that he had not been defeated so he would try and continue fighting, to which Ranma could throw the match and lose on purpose.  
"I-I lost?" Saffron asked, his voice soft.  
"No, you didn't!" Ranma said, waving his arms around, "Don't believe a word she said!"  
"I'm sorry," Kiima said sadly, still looking down at the floor, "But you were defeated by him,"  
Saffron said nothing, his lips a thin line. He glanced toward Kiima, and then at Ranma, and then back at Kiima. When Saffron sighed, Ranma felt the biggest headache he had ever gotten coming around.  
"You have defeated me," Saffron said reluctantly, sadly, "Kiima is now yours,"  
"Wait, hold up," Ranma said.  
"I was no match," Saffron said sadly, looking down at the floor in shame as he picked up his scepter, "Ranma defeated me utterly. I didn't manage to land one blow. He had defeated me before I even realized what had happened. I must grow stronger if I ever intend to defeat him,"  
"Saffron-sama," Kiima was touched by those words. Saffron, although a young boy, spoke with words of wisdom and experience, as if what had transpired had truly humbled him and made him grow up.  
Saffron, tears trickling from his eyes, ran for the window and jumped out of it, "Please wait for me, Kiima. I have made a mistake in suggesting you serve Ranma had I lost. I shall free you from Ranma soon. After I am fully transformed, I shall be back to defeat Ranma and rescue you. I shall be back,"  
"Wait!" Ranma shouted as he ran up to the window.  
When he glanced out the window, he caught a silhouetted of Saffron as he darted across the sky, flying away from the house.  
Ranma looked around for something to throw at Saffron as the young boy flew away. He needed to knock the boy out so he could give himself a change to talk to him and explain to him that he didn't want Kiima serving him.  
Spotting the bokken right by the unconscious Kuno, Ranma quickly picked it up. He threw it out the window and straight toward Saffron's retreating figure. Unfortunately for him, he ended up missing, the bokken ending up getting stuck in the tree that stood just outside the window.  
"Argh! The ONE freaking time I hafta screw up throwing something it is THIS time!" Ranma grabbed at his hair as if trying to rip it out, "Why do these things happen to me? Why?"  
After jumping around like an idiot in frustration for a few times, Ranma calmed down and turned his gaze toward Kiima. It didn't take him long to realize that Kiima was still here but Saffron wasn't.  
That only meant one thing, he and Kiima were now stuck with one another.  
He started jumping up and down in frustration again, "Why? Why? Why?"  
"That isn't helping anyway," Kiima stated.  
Ranma said to Kiima, "Lemme guess, because you serve Saffron, because Saffron lost to me and made that stupid freaking beat, that means you're now obligated to uphold his end of the deal?"  
Kiima nodded, "Yes,"  
"You have to do as I say?" Ranma asked.  
Kiima sneered, "Unfortunately, yes,"  
"Fine, for my first command, go home," he said, "I relinquish me command of you over to Saffron. Go be with Saffron and head back to Mount Phoenix with him,"  
"No, I can't," she said, "I have to stay with you until he comes back and defeats you like he said. He said he will transform himself to defeat you,"  
"And when will that happen?" he asked, "How long until he comes back?"  
"It'll take him four days until he is fully transformed," she answered coldly.  
"How the hell does he know how to transform?" Ranma asked.  
"He will find away," she said, "Now that he realized he needs to transform to defeat you, he will find out how. We had ever intention of waiting until he was older to do so, but now is a good enough time as any for him to want to transform,"  
"And it will take four days at least until this happens?" he asked, "Provided he finds out how?"  
Kiima nodded.  
"That mean you and I hafta be together for at least four days?" Ranma asked.  
Reluctantly, Kiima nodded.  
Ranma pinched the bridge of his nose.  
"This sucks,"

Kiima muttered under her breath about the predicament she was in.  
"Just go home," Ranma muttered, "Forget the deal Saffron made with me and just head back to Mount Phoenix. You can still catch him if you leave now,"  
"You know I can't do that," Kiima muttered, "I have an obligation and will carry it out to the best of my abilities,"  
Ranma sighed.  
He and Kiima were walking down the front pathway of the house toward the street where Mrs. Hyusa still waited patiently in her car. Ranma felt like his already complicated life had gotten more complicated.  
"I don't understand, because of your obligation to me, you're supposed to do as I say, right?" Ranma asked.  
"Unfortunately, yes," she muttered.  
"So why don't you go home?" Ranma asked, "I'm basically telling you to go back home with Saffron. If you're supposed to listen to what I say, then do so,"  
"It doesn't work that way," she said.  
Ranma asked, "Why?"  
"It just doesn't," she answered, "If I could, I would without hesitation. It is the only request that I can't carry out. That and killing myself," Ranma smirked, "So what happens if I ask you to perform oral sex on me?"  
"Y-y-you wouldn't!" the blood drained from Kiima's face.  
"Who knows?" Ranma smirked.  
Kiima said nothing. What had Saffron gotten her into?  
"Better yet, for your first command, take off all your clothes," Ranma said.  
"What?" Kiima shouted, eyes wide with shock.  
Ranma grinned. He might as well have his fun, "Sure, why not? I'll just mortify you so much that, no matter how loyal you are to Saffron, you would rather go against his wishes and not serve me as Saffron wanted you to,"  
Kiima said nothing.  
"Well?" Ranma feigned impatience, "Start doing as I say,"  
Kiima just regarded Ranma for several long moments. She then took a deep breath and started unbuttoning the front of her vest. It wasn't until it looked like she was about to take off her clothes did Ranma realize that she was going to go through with it and actually strip naked in front of Ranma.  
"Stop!" Ranma shouted, reaching out and grabbing Kiima's hands before she could actually remove her clothes, "Holy shit, you really were going to get naked!"  
Kiima had a blush on her cheeks, hating what she was doing, "Yes, that's what you wanted,"  
"Goddamnit!" Ranma shouted up.  
Why couldn't Kiima be like a regular person and refuse to obey him and just leave like any other person in her given situation? Why did he have to end up being stuck with someone that didn't refuse to obey him out of personal integrity?  
"Button yourself back up," Ranma told her, "I'm not gonna allow you to do something like that,"  
Kiima sighed in relief. "Man, what the heck am I gonna do with you?" Ranma asked her, "What, I'm supposed to just put up with you for several days so that Saffron can go back to Mount Phoenix and transform himself and then come back and challenge me in a rematch?"  
Kiima nodded.  
"This is crazy," he muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose, "We're stuck together, huh?"  
She nodded, "Unfortunately,"  
Ranma smirked, "I find it rather amusing how you seem to hafta do what I hafta say, but have no problems voicing your opinions about having doing so.  
Kiima said nothing.  
Ranma shrugged, "However, I don't care about it. Bitch and complain about me as much as y'want. I won't bother me. I'm used to it,"  
He regarded Kiima intently. His piercing blue eyes somehow made Kiima feel self-conscious of herself. She noticed as Ranma looked her up and down, perhaps undressing her with his eyes, regarding those wings of hers and that tight outfit of hers and her curves.  
"Man, what the hell am I gonna do about your wings?" Ranma asked, more to himself than Kiima, "People are definitely gonna ask questions if they see you following me with a pair of wings on your back. Can you remove your wings like Saffron?"  
"I-I can but it will really hurt," she stated, dreading the thought of removing her wings. She would if she had to but would do so very reluctantly. She would rather strip naked instead if it could help avoid it.  
Ranma scratched his chin, "Hm, we can't have that. I don't want you hurting yourself,"  
Kiima said nothing. For a man she held animosity toward, he seemed to have some kind of compassion. Of course, that was not enough to make her think better of him.  
"Just wait here," he said.  
"Okay," she said.  
A thought crossed her mind as to whether or not Ranma would have her wait there and just ditch her. That would be a good way of getting rid of her, to command her to wait somewhere and have her wait there indefinitely. She definitely didn't want that. Although she was a patient person, the thought of just waiting in one spot for Saffron to return without being able to eat or drinking was not something she wanted to experience.  
"Don't worry," Ranma said, his voice seemingly reassuring, "I'll come back. I ain't gonna ditch ya or nothing. Someone's outside the front gate's waiting to drive me home and I wanna go tell her to that I'm gonna walk home instead,"  
"Um, okay," she said. Although Ranma had no obligation to tell her something like that, it was nice to hear him say so. Ranma ran off as Kiima watched him run off. She didn't bother to follow him run off because she knew she would not be able to keep track of his movements. This was because she had horrible night vision. She could barely see her own hands if she held them out in front of her at night. It was one of her great weaknesses, horrible night vision.  
Why she was at the Kuno estate, and at night for that matter, was because of Saffron. Saffron didn't suffer that weakness and she had simply followed him, taking care to stay close to him as he lead her through the night sky when they flew toward the Kuno estate.  
She was only able to see inside the house because of the lights and was able to follow Ranma because they walked side by side.  
She sat down on the ground and waited patiently. She could hear what sounded like sirens in the distance as it got louder and louder. She had no idea what those were.  
"Who is that?" she asked when she heard footsteps coming toward her. "It's me," she recognized Ranma's voice.  
"Oh," she said, a bit relieved. Her heart was racing though.  
In a sense, she was blind at night and had to rely on sounds and she was not used to that. She was used to remaining in the well-lit room that was her bedchambers whenever night came around.  
"Okay, I told Mrs. Hyusa, the person that was waiting for me, I'm gonna walk home," he said, his voice emanating from around twenty feet away from here, twenty feet too far for her to see, "I live pretty close anyway so she had no problem letting me walk. She's gone," "Okay," she said.  
"C'mon, let's go," he said, turning around and heading toward the front gate.  
Kiima got to her feet and started walking in the general direction of Ranma's voice a second ago. She squinted as she tried to make out Ranma's silhouette, much to no avail.  
She yelped in surprise when she tripped over the small stone edgings that lined walkways, falling down to the dirt ground next to the walkway.  
"What the?" she heard Ranma's voice as his footsteps approached her, "Didja just trip over your own feet? I didn't figure you to be someone that's clumsy,"  
"I'm not clumsy!" she retorted. Actually, she was quite the opposites. She was extremely agile. Unfortunately, that only applied to her when there was daylight still out. During nighttime, it was a totally different story.  
Her lips became a thin line as she felt Ranma's gaze on her.  
"Ah," Ranma said after a moment, "Now I remember. You can't see well at night,"  
Kiima's eyes widened in surprise, "How did you know that?"  
"It's a long story," he said, "I don't particularly care to explain it. I know a lot about both you and Saffron,"  
"How?" she asked, "I've never seen you before? How can you know about us but not us you?"  
Ranma smirked, "Wouldn't you like t'know?"  
Kiima muttered under her breath. Sure, Ranma was not obligated to tell her anything if he didn't want to, but she was really curious as to how he knew a bit about her and Saffron. Did they used to know each other a long time ago? Did they forget about him where he didn't forget about them?  
She felt Ranma's hand close on one of her hands as she suddenly felt herself being helped up to her feet.  
"Since you can't see that well at night, I'll hold your hand," he stated, "That way, I can act as your eyes and guide you along,"  
Kiima blushed, "Okay,"  
"Why's your hand all sweaty?" he asked, "Are you nervous about something?" He wondered if she was more scared of the dark that he thought. He didn't realize her lack of decent vision made her terrified.  
"Um, I've never held hands with someone before," she stated, shattering Ranma's belief as to what the reasons were of her nervousness.  
Ranma said, "Hey, don't go misunderstanding or nothing. I'm only holding your hand to help you out, not because we're some kinda couple or something, okay?"  
"Crystal clear," she said. Never in her life would she ever consider herself and Ranma a couple.  
"I don't need you falling in love with me or something," he said bluntly, "I've got enough problems,"  
"What makes you think I would EVER fall in love with you?" Kiima snapped, jerking her arm away, "That is easily the furthest from my mind,"  
"Good," he said, "Let's keep it that way. That's because, as flattering as it would be to find out that you have feelings with me, where I intend to go soon from now I have no intention of bringing anyone with me,"  
"Where is that?" curiosity got the better of her, "Where do you intend to go?"  
"Somewhere," he said, "It's not important. Just know that wherever I'm going, NO ONE is coming along with me. And that means you,"  
Kiima laughed, "You'll hear no arguments from me,"  
"Good," he said.  
"Good," she added.  
"Well, now that we got that cleared up, let's get you to my place," he said, reaching out and grabbing a hold of Kiima's hand, "You should look at yourself anyway. Your clothes are a little dirty from the smoke from the fire before and we need to get you changed,"  
Her hand in Ranma's, Kiima found herself staggering as she tried to follow after Ranma, said, "I have no clothes besides these,"  
"Don't worry. We'll get you some new clothes,"

new stuff 12/10

"This is your house?" Kiima asked Ranma as she regarded the rather large house as they stood in front of it. The house was nowhere near as large as the house she had been in before, the Kuno estate, but it was still an impressive sight to behold.  
"Yeah," he said, "I moved in today actually. I didn't wanna live at home anymore,"  
"Impressive," she couldn't help but comment.  
Ranma looked to be around sixteen and he was already living on his own. It meant that, despite being young, he was already independent. That was far removed from Saffron, a young boy used to being pampered. It made her wonder what kind of upbringing Ranma had to be able to stand on his own two feet at such a young age.  
How long would it be before Saffron became like that, an independent person capable of doing things on his own and not needing people around to help him out.  
But then again, if she thought about it, perhaps Saffron was already starting to make his own choices. Afterall, he had gone back to Mount Phoenix on his own to transform himself into someone stronger to fight against Ranma, a decision he made all on his own.  
"What?" he asked, noticing Kiima staring at him.  
"Nothing," she turned away.  
"Yeah, I know," Ranma smirked, "I'm so handsome that it's really hard for girls to turn their gaze away,"  
"What?" Kiima shouted, "I was, in no way, staring at you because of something like that. You think too highly of yourself,"  
Ranma laughed. He couldn't help but be reminded of Motoko. She and Kiima were similar in that they both had animosity toward him. Of course, funnily enough, the animosity was kind of unjustified since he didn't necessarily do anything bad to cause them to harbor such animosity in the first place. "You live here alone?" she asked, "That's a big house to be living alone in,"  
"Nope," he answered, "I'm currently living with Shampoo?"  
"Shampoo?" she asked.  
"This person I know," Ranma stated, "She's basically my housemate for the time being. I don't intend to stay all that long around here anyway,"  
Ranma walked up to the front door and opened it with the key he had in his pocket all this time. The other key he had given to Shampoo.  
Kiima followed Ranma into the house. The moment they stepped in, Shampoo emerged from the entrance to the livingroom and out into the long hallway to greet them, a smile on her face.  
"Aiya, Ranma finally back," she said, "Shampoo so happy," When she realized that Ranma wasn't alone and that there was a beautiful woman with large wings standing next to him, she asked, "W-who that?"  
Ranma gestured, "Shampoo, this's Kiima. Kiima, this is Shampoo,"  
"Why she here?" Shampoo asked.  
"She's gonna be living with us," Ranma stated.  
"What?" Shampoo asked, "Why? "This and that, she and I hafta be together," Ranma tried to keep the explanation short, "Exactly how we ended up together is kinda irrelevant. The point is is that she and I are together and that's that. I'm gonna be taking care of her like I'm taking care of you. I don't particularly care to explain,"  
Shampoo crossed her arms in front of her chest, "Shampoo want better explanation. Why?"  
Ranma felt himself getting a bit angry, "Fine. A girl named Kodachi challenged her. She came here to investigate. I bumped into her. Now she has to stay with me,"  
"That not make sense," Shampoo stated, confused.  
"Why do you think I don't particularly care about explaining it?" Ranma asked.  
"Why she have wings?" Shampoo gestured toward the large wings on Kiima's back.  
Ranma scratched his head. He didn't really know why Kiima had wings in the first place. He remembered being explained that reason long ago by Cologne when he was young but had forgotten over the decades.  
Kiima was about to speak up but Ranma jumped in.  
"Oh yeah," he recalled, "She's from Mount Phoenix. At the summit of that mountain there's a cursed pool like Jusenkyo where a bird drowned. The living at people the base of the mountain used that spring's water as their water supply. Over the generations, the villagers shave grown wings and are basically half-  
bird half-human hybrids,"  
Kiima looked at Ranma with shock, "H-how did you know all of this?"  
Ranma seemed to be a wealth of knowledge. How the heck did he know about Jusenkyo also? How the heck did he know so much stuff in the first place? He knew about her and Saffron. He knew about Mount Phoenix. He knew about her lack of vision at night, a weakness very few knew about. How was this possible?  
"Mount Phoenix?" Shampoo's eyes widened, "She inhabitant of Mount Phoenix?"  
"Yes," she answered, "What of it?"  
Shampoo produced two bonboris from out of nowhere, getting into a battle stance, "Shampoo am from Joketsuzoku,"  
"Joketsuzoku!" Kiima sneered, getting into a battle stance. She pulled out her sword from its scabbard on her hip, a weapon she had not used until now. Afterall, her claw-like hands were also deemed as weapons as well.  
"What's going on here?" Ranma asked, noticing both females seemed to know each other.  
"She from Mount Phoenix," Shampoo stated, "Mount Phoenix and Joketsuzoku are enemies,"  
Ranma said, "Really? I didn't know that," He then realized something, that if Kiima and Shampoo were enemies from rivaling locations, having them live together would be very complicated.  
"Look, there's gonna be no fighting in the house," Ranma said.  
Neither girls seemed to hear him.  
He took a step forward and in between both girls, making sure to keep his hands crossed in front of his chest. He had been in this situation many times before where he needed to step in between two girls. A man that learned from his mistakes, mostly, he knew that if he tried to use his hands to separate both girls, he would end up somehow accidentally grabbing each of their breasts.  
"There will be no fighting in the house," he said again. "You girls will not fight one another here or anywhere else. Do I make myself clear?"  
They regarded Ranma intently.  
"If you wanna fight go right ahead," he told them, "But you will regret it," Both girls said nothing, gulping.  
He was bluffing because he had no real idea what he would do had they started fighting but hoped that that was enough to keep them from fighting. He simply needed to give off an aura of foreboding toward both females about crossing him. He didn't want to use fear as a driving force, preferring to diplomacy instead, but with something like this, he needed to put his foot down.  
"Look, I don't know why Joketsuzoku and Mount Phoenix don't like each other," Ranma stated, "And frankly, I don't care. We are in neither of those places so there is no reason for the fighting,"  
"It enough that she from Mount Phoenix that Shampoo want to fight her," Shampoo stated.  
"Likewise," Kiima added.  
"I don't care," Ranma said, "There will be no fighting in here. Do I make myself clear? If not, the both of you can pack your bags and leave and go live elsewhere. I don't need none of this crap in my life,"  
Ranma cast Kiima glance.  
"Keep in mind that I'm just letting you stay around with me simply because I'm generally a nice guy," he stated, "I figure you would not want me to be unreasonable and just have you wait at one location for however many days for Saffron to come back and get you. I've got a pretty long rope but not that long a rope. I have no problems putting up with you hanging around me if you behave yourself and not make a nuisance of yourself,"  
"I-I understand," Kiima said, looking down at the floor.  
Shampoo smirked toward Kiima.  
Ranma turned toward Shampoo, "Don't think I would hesitate to kick you outta the house. If that happens, you're on your own. Okay, fine, it was my fault I beat Cologne and now she's heading back to China instead of staying around to take care of you. But y'know what? Tough luck. Shit happens. I, of all people, know exactly how unfair life could be,"  
Shampoo said nothing.  
Ranma took a deep breath, his visage softening.  
"I'm not being an unreasonable person here," he said in a soft voice, "I have enough problems to deal with in my life that I don't want to hafta deal with two warring girls living under the same roof as myself for the remainder of my stay here,"  
Shampoo asked, "Remainder of your stay here? What that mean? Ranma leaving for somewhere?"  
"Yes," he said, "I'm leaving not too long from now,"  
"Where?" she asked.  
"Somewhere very very far away," he answered, "As to where, you don't need to know. The point I'm getting at is that I WILL be leaving soon. No one, not you, not the Tendos, not even my father, will keep me from leaving. I don't belong here and that's that,"  
There was a deafening silence that came over the three.  
"Anyway, now that we have everything cleared up, do I have your words that you will not be fighting?" Ranma asked both girls.  
"I'll try," she said.  
He glanced toward Shampoo, "Shampoo?"  
"Shampoo try," Shampoo said.  
Ranma smiled, "That's all I ask,"

Kiima lay on the bed stiffly, staring up at the ceiling.  
She had been allocated to one of the several furnished bedrooms of the house. The room itself had nothing more than a bed and a dresser drawer for clothes.  
It was around midnight and she found herself having trouble sleeping even though she had been laying in bed for the better part of two hours. It wasn't because she had the light in her room on, Kiima preferring to sleep where there is light, something she had grown used to due to her lack of night vision. She had trouble sleeping because she was completely unfamiliar with her surroundings.  
She sighed as she lay on the bed.  
What had horrible predicament she was in. She was stuck serving Ranma, a landling she held animosity toward, living in a house with a Amazon from Joketsuzoku, an enemy village of Mount Phoenix.  
She sighed, feeling sorry for herself. Closing her eyes, she waited for sleep to bestow her.  
When morning came around, Kiima awoke to the fragrant smell of breakfast.  
She was tired, not having fallen asleep until around four in the morning. She didn't have trouble sleeping at night from the thought of her and Shampoo sleeping under the same roof and there being a chance that Shampoo would try and kill her in her sleep. She had had trouble sleeping because she had been busy feeling sorry for herself.  
She headed out of her room where she followed the smell of breakfast wafting through the air, eventually finding herself in the kitchen.  
"Morning," Ranma said, his back toward her, "Sleep well,"  
"Not really," she said with a yawn.  
"Well, hopefully, breakfast will help you out," he said with a warm smile.  
Kiima said nothing. She found this rather surprising. A person that was expected to serve Ranma, she figured she would be the one cooking breakfast for him. Shampoo entered the kitchen, yawning.  
"Morning, Shampoo," he said, giving her the same greeting he gave Kiima.  
"Morning," Shampoo said. She caught sight of Kiima but made no effort to greet her. Instead, she turned toward Ranma, "What Ranma making? It smell nice,"  
"Breakfast," he said, "I went grocery shopping this early morning while you and Kiima were sleeping,"  
Shampoo scratched her head, "Where Ranma get money? Didn't Ranma give Shampoo all the money he have?"  
Ranma nodded, "Yeah, but that doesn't mean I can't get money if I need it. Having no money has never been an issue in my life, especially where if you're, um, morally challenged like myself,"  
"What Ranma do?" Shampoo asked.  
"Nothing the Japanese government can't reimburse," Ranma chuckled at his own private joke.  
Both girls were silent, wondering what it could possibly be. "Also, we now have plenty of money for tonight's party," he said.  
"Party?" they asked.  
Ranma said, "Yeah. I got so caught up with dealing with you two not fighting one another that I forgot to mention it last night. We're gonna be throwing a party tonight. I'd like for you two to help me with preparations if you don't mind,"  
"Why Ranma throwing party?" Shampoo asked.  
Ranma shrugged, "Why not? It sounded like a good idea. Besides, someone in my class suggested it,"  
"Class?" Kiima asked.  
"Yeah," he said, "I'm a sensei. I teach class,"  
"You're a teacher?" Kiima was surprised to hear that.  
She figured Ranma to be nothing more than a high school kid skilled in martial arts. It made her realize that the more she got to know who Ranma was, the more she realized she knew nothing about him.  
Ranma shrugged, "A teacher, more or less. I only teach one class a day though. I was actually on my way home after teaching class when I bumped into you and Saffron,"  
He made a gesture toward the table located near the back of the kitchen.  
"Please, the both of you, take a seat," he said, "Breakfast'll be ready shortly. Just help yourself to the plates,"  
"Um, thanks," both girls said, taking their seats.  
Shampoo had bought plates and other miscellaneous items for the house yesterday and knew where they were. She got herself her own plate as Kiima followed suit, Shampoo making no effort to get it for her, Kiima glaring at Shampoo as the two of them got their plates and utensils and sat down.  
Ranma noticed this but said nothing. He found it rather amusing that both girls seemed to harbor some kind of dislike toward one another. He didn't really care so long as they didn't start fighting and destroying things. He had nothing against a verbal scuffle from time to time so long as it led to nothing more than that.  
They watched Ranma curiously as he went about cooking, working his way around the kitchen like a chef. This surprised them because Ranma didn't seem like the type that knew how to cook. Heck, he was sixteen, a great indication that he would rather do other things than cook.  
"Where Ranma learn to cook?" Shampoo asked, "Who teach him?"  
"Self-taught," he said.  
"Ranma know a lot of stuff," Shampoo stated. Ranma smirked, "More than you think,"  
After a few minutes, Ranma was finished making breakfast and brought the food up to the table for everyone to dig in. Both girls were surprised to see how delicious the meal looked. They were in for quite a pleasant surprise when they found out the meal tasted every bit as good as it looked.  
"This food is delicious," Kiima said. It tasted even better than some of the food the cooks in the palace where she and Saffron resided ate, "What kind of food is this?"  
"Western breakfast," Ranma smiled, "I like western meals and usually make 'em from breakfast. I left out the eggs because I didn't know how you felt about eating eggs, what with the fact that you're half-bird and half-human,"  
Kiima giggled.  
That was rather thoughtful of Ranma. Perhaps Ranma didn't know all that much about her. Her people never considered eating eggs a form of cannibalism. Afterall, she and her people were more human than bird.  
She quickly steeled herself when she realized she was laughing. Ranma was supposed to be the enemy.

new stuff 12/11

Ranma and Shampoo and Kiima found themselves walking down the street together. Many pedestrians found themselves staring at Kiima's wings as they all walked together. The stares bothered none of them. "You girls don't hafta follow me," Ranma said, "All I'm gonna do is look for some audio system for the house for tonight. I don't really need any help,"  
"Shampoo just want to be with Ranma," Shampoo said.  
"I'm coming with you because that is expected of me," Kiima stated.  
Ranma said, "Shampoo, how many times do I hafta tell you that we are not engaged or a couple or such,"  
Shampoo said nothing for a moment before saying, "Shampoo know that. Shampoo have nothing to do but figure it fun to go with Ranma do nothing,"  
Ranma shrugged, "Okay. I guess you have a point there,"  
"Where we go?" Shampoo asked.  
"The electronics store for some audio equipment,"

Ranma carried two very large and very heavy speakers on each arm he and Shampoo and Kiima walked down the road together.  
"Shampoo can help," Shampoo said. All she had in her hand was one half of a receiver for the stereo system.  
"I can help out," Kiima offered. She didn't really want to help him but it was a part of her job to at least ask and offer her services wherever possible. She carried the other half of the receiver.  
Ranma said, "Nah. I'm fine. I'm not so weak that I can't carry two speakers at a time,"  
"But want to help," Shampoo stated, "Speaker must be heavy to lift by yourself. Shampoo strong. Shampoo can help carry some of the load,"  
Ranma smirked as he placed one of the speakers down. He gestured toward it, "All right, see if you can help me then,"  
Shampoo smiled confidently, hoping to score some points in helping Ranma. However, when she tried to lift it up, she found the component to be a lot heavier than she thought. It wasn't until she placed what she was carrying what she had on the ground to free up both hand did was she able to lift it up, a sign of strain could be seen on her face.  
"It not heavy," Shampoo lied.  
Ranma laughed, "Riiight,"  
Kiima said nothing, grateful she didn't persist in helping out. She would be made the fool had she tried to lift it. Physically, she wasn't all that strong, her body more built for speed than anything else.  
He walked over toward the struggling Shampoo and grabbed the speaker, taking it out of her arm, holding it easily in his own arm, "Don't worry, I got it,"  
Shampoo just stared in Ranma in amazement. She was awed by his obvious strength. What she was seeing was pure raw strength. As much as she hated to admit it, she knew that there was a difference in strength between males and females but the sight of Ranma carrying such a heavy load was staggering.  
"How Ranma get so strong?" she asked.  
"Dunno," Ranma said truthfully, "I shouldn't be this strong, definitely not at this age, but it seems like I am,"  
"What do you mean by that?" Kiima's interest was piqued. Ranma chuckled, "It's probably all in the mind,"  
That was his theory. It had to be. He was sure he didn't have this much strength when he was originally sixteen. Heck, if he thought about it, he didn't start getting really strong until a few decades later, when he really started strength training up in the mountains following the Nerima Massacre.  
If he had to gauge his current strength, he had a funny feeling he was probably about as strong as when he first fought the Knight Sabers. However, he was very sure that that would not be the case for long for his strength was growing at what seemed like an exponential rate.  
"Exactly how strong is Ranma?" Shampoo had to ask.  
"That's something I would like to find out," he said, more to himself than anything, "I myself don't really care how strong I am. I'm more curious as to my toughness,"  
If he was about as strong now as when he fought the Knight Sabers for the very first time, did that also mean he could take the equivalent to a tank shell right to the chest? At the age of sixteen and as powerful as when he was around when he was fifty, it made him wonder just how strong he would be getting.  
He shrugged, "Oh well. It doesn't really matter anyway. It's not like my being strong or tough really matters nowadays anyway,"  
He really didn't care. So long as he retained his fighting experience, he could be hit with the moxibustion technique and have the strength of a newborn baby and he would still be able to defeat his opponents. Ranma dismissed the thought.  
"C'mon, let's head back to the house and get everything set up,"  
Late afternoon rolled around without incident.  
Ranma and Shampoo and Kiima had spent most of their morning preparing for tonight's party. There really wasn't all that much that they needed to do aside from Ranma hooking up the audio system on the back porch. He did so because most of the party would be taking place in the backyard and he wanted the system where everyone could hear the music, whether they are inside or outside the house.  
After everything was hooked, they spent the afternoon buying food and snacks at a local supermarket before they finally finished up and had some lunch out at some random restaurant.  
"Well, I'm gonna get going now," Ranma said, heading for the door, handing the large sum of cash in his pocket to Kiima and Shampoo, half for each since he didn't want them thinking he was playing favorites.  
"Where Ranma going?" Shampoo asked.  
"To teach class," he said, "It's almost six and I have a class to teach,"  
"Shampoo want to come with Ranma," Shampoo said.  
"Shampoo, you hafta quit following me around like some kinda lost puppy," he said, "What you should be doing is looking for a Chinese restaurant, to see if you can find yourself some work. I ain't gonna be around all the time for long. The money I just gave you will last you several months without having to work, but eventually, you need to find yourself a job so you can make yourself some money,"  
Shampoo was silent.  
"If you want, we can go out job searching tomorrow," he stated, "Or, if you really want, we can look into you starting your own business but that's quite a bit to take in since you're so young and I doubt you've ever started your own business. I can help you out if you need since I know a bit about business and how to start and run one and keep it from going under,"  
Shampoo didn't really know what to say. It had crossed her mind that she can just stay with Ranma and let Ranma take care of her. However, judging by that comment, it seemed like Ranma had no intention of taking care of her for long.  
He proceeded toward the door.  
"Well, I'm off to teach class," he said.  
Kiima got up to follow Ranma. "No need," Ranma said, "You can stay here,"  
"But I'm supposed to follow-" Kiima began.  
"Just stay here," he told her, "There is no need for you to follow me, just like there is no use for Shampoo to follow me as well,"  
"You want to get rid of us?" Shampoo asked, a bit annoyed, "You don't want us with you? Is that it?"  
Ranma said, "No, but with questions like that, I'm starting to think otherwise," Shampoo winced at the comment.  
"Look, I didn't mean it like that. It's just that I want you to let me go do my own stuff," he said, "I don't need you or Kiima following me around all the time,"  
Shampoo and Kiima looked at one another.  
"Also, I expect this house to be still upright when I get back," he said in a serious voice, "That means no fighting. Okay?"  
"Fine," both girls said.  
He gestured toward the television in the livingroom, "Go watch some television. I'll be back in a couple of hours anyway. I'm just gonna go teach a class and then come right back,"  
Ranma said goodbye and left the house, heading for the Tendos.  
Kiima and Shampoo stood there for several moments.  
Not really knowing what to do, Kiima did as Ranma had requested and went to the livingroom and turned on the television.  
It was turned onto some random news channel. It displayed a young male news reporter.  
"I'm standing here in an open field of Quihaun providence near the village of Chinyuan where there were several reports of what looked like a person glowing in flames with wings as it zooming across the sky this late afternoon heading west toward Japan," the man said.  
Kiima dropped her remote as the television showed a blurry image of a some video footage of said object zooming across the sky, shot by some random tourist filming something and accidentally capturing a shot of the object before it disappeared over the horizon.  
"No one knows what the object was but local authorities and villagers believe that it was a genuine UFO that they had witnessed," the man continued on, "We will bring more to you about this UFO sighting later tonight,"  
"What?" Shampoo asked, noticing the surprised look on her face.  
Kiima didn't even hear Shampoo's question, caught up in the moment after having seen the video displayed on the television screen.  
"Saffron-sama, he's already transformed himself and is on his way back to Japan already," she said in surprise. It didn't make sense because it took at least four days for Saffron to transform into his adult, nearly omnipotent, form. However, the image had already showed Saffron already transformed.  
It didn't make sense. How was that possible? Did Saffron allow himself to not achieve his fully mature form so that he could come back to Japan earlier than expected?  
Whatever the case, it seemed like Saffron would be back in Japan to fight Ranma before long.

new stuff 12/12

Ranma showed up at the Tendo home about fifteen minutes before class was expected to start. To his surprise, he saw Mrs. Hyusa there as well. She usually showed up just as class was starting.  
"Hey, you're early," he greeted her, talking to her first before he had a chance to talk to Akane who was near the back of the dojo, observing them out of the corner of her eyes as she went about stretching in preparation of Ranma's upcoming class.  
"I got out of work a bit early," she said. A woman in ever sense of the word, she found herself surprised that she was justifying herself to someone. But then again, she found Ranma easy to talk to, "I never got around to saying how amazed I was at your actions last night,"  
"Huh? What'd I do last night?" he asked, forgetful.  
"When you went into the burning house and put out that fire," she said, "The house would've gone up in flames had you not intervened. I saw it on the news last night about the fire and how a fire had broke out but no one really knows how it was started or how it was put out. Of course, I guess we were the only ones that know what really happened,"  
"Oh yeah, that," he shrugged, "It was nothing. I do these things all the time,"  
"So, how's it like living at your new place?" she asked, wanting to keep the conversation going.  
He answered, "It's fine. I like it. It's a change of scenery,"  
"I'm looking forward to tonight's party," she stated.  
"I'm kinda having worries about that," he muttered.  
"Oh?" she asked, "What, you're not prepared or such?"  
Ranma shook his head, "Not that. Knowing my luck, someone's gonna bring alcohol to help 'liven up' the party. The last thing I need is a house full of drunk females,"  
Mrs. Hyusa laughed.  
Ranma was definitely an amusing fellow. His outlook on life was very much different than other boys his age. It was neither a good nor bad thing if she thought about it. Instead, she found it very cute and amusing. "I'm sure things won't get out of hand," she said, "Even if someone does bring alcohol, adults usually drink responsibly,"  
Ranma laughed at the comment, "If you say so,"  
"Well, I'm going to go get changed," she gestured toward the locker room in the back of the dojo, "I'll talk to you later,"  
"Okay," he said.  
As he watched Mrs. Hyusa disappear into the locker room, Akane approached Ranma, seeing that he was now free.  
"You and she seem to get along fine," Akane said wryly, a hint of jealousy in her voice. She had been watching Ranma and Mrs. Hyusa interact and couldn't help but feel jealous of how well they got along. "Yeah," he shrugged, "We get along pretty well,"  
There was a moment of awkward silence before Akane said something.  
"So, the party's tonight," Akane began, wondering how to go about asking if she could come along. She had been wondering how she was going to go about asking if she could go. Ranma had invited everyone in his class to the party, but because she wasn't really a member of the class, just sitting in from time to time, she figured that the invitation didn't extend out to her like everyone else.  
Ranma said, "Yeah. I spent this morning getting an audio system and getting it set up and all. You have no idea how much money I spent for the audio system. I spent more money on the audio system than what I paid for to rent the house,"  
"How do you come across so much money?" she had been meaning to ask, "From the sounds of things, you have money to burn,"  
Ranma said, "Money to burn? Not really. But I do have a quite a bit of money,"  
"Where did you get all of this?" she asked, "I know it's because of you the dojo is now getting business, but it sounds to me like you're spending more money than my father is giving you,"  
"I am," Ranma said.  
"How?" she asked, "Where do you get all this money?"  
"I robbed a bank this morning," Ranma grinned. "What?" Akane's eyes widened, "How could you?"  
Ranma chuckled, "Hey, when you're morally challenged like myself, it's not all that hard,"  
"But I thought you were some kind of, y'know, good guy," she said, "I never figured you'd do something like that,"  
"Didn't you listen to my entire life story when I told it to you?" he asked, "I'm not exactly a saint,"  
Akane giggled. So Ranma was a bit of a rough around the edges and did stuff like steal and take police stations hostage and lie, but that seemed to be what made Ranma Ranma in the first place.  
"I'm telling you," he said, "Aside from the fact that I won't kill someone, I'm a pretty bad guy,"  
Akane giggled again. She found it funny how Ranma was trying to convince her that he was a bad person. Sure, he was rough around the edges, but she never considered him a bad person.  
He said, "Man, I have no idea what kinda music to play. I need to ask to class to bring some music. I don't remember what kind of music people listened to during this era,"  
"I know you said you live in a future version of this world and all, but you speak of this time like it's ancient history," Akane said, "Heck, you even used the word 'era',"  
Ranma said, "Akane, you need to understand that even though I look to be around your age, I'm significantly older. I don't remember much from when I was young. Besides, when I was your age, I didn't listen to music so I wouldn't really know anyway,"  
Akane couldn't help but say, "It's so weird talking to you,"  
"Oh? How so?" he asked, scratching his head.  
"You're the same age as me so it's hard remember that you're much older than me," she stated.  
"Significantly older," Ranma said, "I'm over, what, around six times older than you. I may look young, but I am definitely not young. I also don't remember too well about stuff about this era,  
"Well, since you don't know what kinda music people might like, maybe I can lend you some of my CDs," Akane said.  
Ranma shrugged, "That sounds like a good idea. You can bring the music with you when you come over for the party. You are coming, right?"  
Akane felt herself very happy. It seemed like Ranma did want her to come. All day today she had been wondering if she had been invited and, if not, how to go about asking if she could come along. And now, she had found out she had been invited all along.  
"Of course," she said with a smile, "I wouldn't want to miss it,"  
"Cool," he said, "I'd stay around and walk with you to my place after class, but I need to head back to the house after I'm done to get everything set up and such as well as get the food. I also told Shampoo and Kiima that I'll be back right after class and I don't want 'em getting all worried and paranoid and all,"  
"Kiima?" Akane didn't recognize the name. "This girl I met yesterday night," he said, "She and Shampoo are currently living at my place,"  
Akane asked, "Who is this Kiima girl? What's she look like?"  
"What's it matter what she look like?" Ranma asked, "She's this girl from a place called Mount Phoenix. She's a little taller than you and has short hair,"  
Akane instinctively touched her hair. Did Ranma have a thing for girls with short hair? She had considered cutting her hair once to get Ranma to notice her more and now it seemed like it might have been a good idea then.  
"I don't really care to go into detail about her," Ranma waved a hand, "All that matters is that I'm taking care of her for the next couple of days until this guy named Saffron comes back from China to get her,"  
"So you're just watching over here for the time being?" Akane asked, "Who's this Saffron person? Is he a friend or something?" Ranma laughed, "Far from it. He and I don't get along. A definite clash in personalities. I hafta take care of this girl for a few days. When he comes back, I'll be more than happy to let him take her back home with him to China,"  
He glanced over toward the clock and noticed what time it was.  
"Well, I'm gonna go get changed now," he said, "Class is about to start,"

"...after your opponent is on the ground, just execute a quick wrist lock to lock him or her facing the ground," Ranma said in the middle of his demonstration, "The lock will prevent him or her from being able to get back up. Are there any questions?"  
"Sensei, you have yet to tell us where this party will be taking place tonight," one student asked him, "What's your address?"  
Ranma scratched his head, "Um, that kinda wasn't the questions I had in mind. But now that I think about it, I never did tell you were my new place is, huh?"  
All the students shook their heads.  
He gave them the address. Most of the students was aware of where the street was, most of them local residents or living in neighboring towns.  
"Class, does anyone here plan on bringing alcohol to the party?" he asked.  
"What, you have a thing against alcohol?" one student asked.  
"Well, yeah," he said, "It's already bad enough that there's probably gonna be no guys at the party except maybe for my neighbors that I invited. I don't need no party full of drunk girls to make it all the worse,"  
One student giggled, "You're one strange guy, sensei,"  
The class burst out laughing.  
"What?" he asked, "What's so funny? Anyway, if any of you decide to bring alcohol, I expect everyone here coming to drink responsibility,"  
One student said, "Yes, Mom,"  
The class started laughing again.  
"Y'know what I mean," he muttered, smirking slightly.

Ranma entered the house.  
Finished with teaching classes, he headed back to his house to prepare for the party. Upon entering, he was pleasantly surprised to see both Kiima and Shampoo getting along. They were both working together moving the couch and tables out of the way to allow for more open space in the livingroom.  
"Wow, you girls are working together," Ranma said in surprise.  
"Well, after a while, we've realized that our animosity toward one another does seem unfounded," Kiima said.  
"We not know each other before yesterday so there no reason for us to be enemies," Shampoo said.  
Actually, it wasn't until she found out that Kiima harbored no romantic interest in Ranma whatsoever did they seem to start getting along. While their villages were enemies, both had no real idea why and actually found it rather ridiculous to hate each other because of something like that. Besides, they had no intention of fighting simply because they didn't want to upset Ranma. They had a funny feeling Ranma would be serious enough as to kicking them out of the house for fighting and they didn't want to risk that.  
"Whatcha girls doing right now?" he asked.  
"We were clearing up some room in the livingroom," Kiima answered, "That way, there will be more open space since the couch will be out of the way,"  
Kiima couldn't help but be somewhat excited at the thought of a party. She had never been to a party before and was curious as to what they were like. Sure, she didn't like the thought of being at a party full of landlings, but there was nothing she could do about it. Besides, she only planned on observing. Being with Ranma for the day and seeing how landlings went about her day made curious about them some more. She had found out that aside from physical appearances, they were very similar.  
Ranma slapped Kiima and Shampoo in the butt, "Good for you. You girls make me proud, taking the initiative in helping me out,"  
"Eeek," both girls yelped in surprise, dropping the couch on one of Ranma's feet, unused to that form of attention.  
"Of all places y'had to drop it, it had to be my foot, huh?" Ranma said, looking down at his crushed foot. If it hurt, he showed no indication.  
He shrugged as he lifted his one leg and shoved the sofa over toward the back of the living room where he assumed they were going to move it to. The girls had a surprised look on their faces at how easily Ranma did that.  
"Pervert," Kiima said, a blush on her cheeks.  
Ranma chuckled but didn't seem at all bothered at the comment. He had been called much worse, afterall. "I can't wait to see Saffron defeat you," Kiima spat, remembering that she was supposed to harbor great animosity toward Ranma.  
Ranma laughed, "We'll see,"  
Kiima glanced in the direction of the television set where she had seen a report about someone having observed Saffron, in his transformed form, flying through the air and being mistaken for a UFO.  
She smirked. Ranma was going to be in for a surprise when Saffron showed up before long.  
At the rate of how fast Saffron could travel through the air, he should be in Japan and in Nerima in a couple of hours.

new stuff 12/13

Ranma was surprised at how many people came together when he opened his front door to reveal over twenty females, all of which are students in his class. All of them were older than Ranma, the youngest by at least five years. "You girls all came together?" he asked.  
"We all met in front," one student answered, "Most of us showed up at around the same time so it,"  
He noticed each girl held some form of snack in her hands.  
"What's with all the food?" he asked to no one in particular.  
"Well, it seems like we all thought the same thing, to bring some kind of snack for the party," another female said.  
Ranma scratched his head, "Jeez, you each brought snacks. And I already got plenty of snacks for everyone,"  
"You can never have too much," one commented.  
Ranma shrugged as he stepped to the side to let the girls enter.  
"Have a look around," he said, "Since I moved it yesterday, there isn't really much so you don't hafta worry about breaking anything since I have nothing here worth breaking,"  
The girls laughed.  
They glanced past Ranma and noticed Shampoo and Kiima standing in the hallway.  
"This is Shampoo and Kiima," he stated, "They're my housemates and live with me,"  
Ranma went about introducing every female by their full names, a skill that made each and every one of them feel special the he remembered them by name despite him teaching such a large class. Shampoo and Kiima desperately tried to remember their names but gave up after the eighth or ninth person was introduced.  
"You sure know how to make a girl feel special," one female gave Ranma a playful punch in the arm.  
Shampoo couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. However, she also felt like she was out of her league comparing herself to them. The women gathered about were older and more mature than her and seemed to know how to flirt. Ranma chuckled, "Well, since you know my name, it's only natural that I should know all of yours as well,"  
"But it's different," another one said, "It's easy for us to remember you because you're just one person. However, for you to know all of our names, that's pretty good,"  
Ranma shrugged, "Doesn't seem all that hard to me,"  
The girls noticed the wings on Kiima and looked at her curiously, as if they had all showed up to a costume party and had forgotten to wear a costume.  
"Don't worry about her wings," Ranma said, "Just take it as a given. Think of it as a prop,"  
"Okay," the didn't want to argue with Ranma. There was no reason not to trust him.  
"Are either of you Ranma's girlfriend?" one of the girls asked both Shampoo and Kiima.  
Kiima and Shampoo looked at one another, a blush on their cheeks. They tried to answer but found themselves having trouble forming the words to reply.  
"No, neither are my girlfriends," he said without batting an eye, "And they're not my sister's either. They're friends of mine. We just live together. That's all,"  
The girls smirked at Ranma, seemingly unconvinced.  
Ranma shrugged, "I don't care what you think. You can think they're my sex slaves and that I'm holding them hostage in this house for all I care,"  
"Ranma!" Shampoo and Kiima said in embarrassment.  
Everyone started laughing.  
"You never were one to worry about what others think," one woman said, "That's what I like about you, sensei. You move to the beat of your own drum,"  
"Like I always say, you should never judge a book by its cover," he smirked, "Anyway, enough chit chat. Does any one here want a tour of the house?"  
Most of the girls expressed interest in a tour.  
He excused himself and told Shampoo and Kiima to do him the favor and answer the door if any more people showed up and went around showing the group the house. He had no real idea how to go about giving tours so he basically emulated what the real estate dealer said to him verbatim.  
Before long, the ground found themselves in Ranma's room.  
"Seems like our sensei here likes leaving his dirty clothes all over the place," one girl commented with a smirk.  
"Ooh, I figured sensei was a boxers kinda guy," one girl laughed, gesturing toward the pair of boxers sitting near the foot of the bed.  
Ranma grabbed his boxers quickly, "Don't even think about it,"  
"Don't think about what?" they asked.  
"Stealing my underwear," he said.  
"What?" the girls were shocked.  
Ranma cast all the girls in his room a suspicious look, "I wasn't born yesterday. I know how perverted girls are. You know how many girls I've dealt with stealing my underwear. I don't know what girls do stealing guys underwear, but I think it's perverted,"  
"We would never do such a thing!" many of them said, shocked that Ranma would assume something like that.  
Ranma laughed, "Ha! I'm not stupid. I've dealt with enough girl underwear thieves in my life to come to the conclusion that girls are perverted. Just admit it, girls are perverted and would steal a guy's underwear if she had the chance,"  
"You're crazy," one girl said, about to laugh. Ranma must be joking.  
One girl had to ask, "Let me get this straight. You've had girls steal your underwear?"  
Ranma said, "Yeah, on more than one occasions. I'm sick of having to buy new underwear because girls keep stealing 'em," It never occurred on this world but it happened plenty of times back in his world. He had no real idea who was stealing his underwear and for what, but assume it was probably Misato stealing his underwear.  
The girls all looked at one another.  
They all burst out laughing.  
"You're so funny, sensei," a girl said, "You almost had us going there. Things like that don't happen,"  
"Sure they don't," Ranma said, "If they don't happen, then why does it happen to me?"  
They continued laughing.  
Ranma didn't seem amused, "Anyway, this is my room. Enough with showing you my room,"  
"C'mon, show us more around," one persisted, "I'm curious as to what kind of stuff you keep around here? I saw a show about the things that can be found in a person's room really reflect the kind of person he or she is,"  
Ranma said, "I only moved in yesterday. There's nothing in this room. Go ahead and look around if you want,"  
One girl suggested, "Quickly, someone check under his bed. See what kind of erotica stuff he looks at,"  
Ranma laughed, "Ha, you'll find none. That's because I didn't get around to buying any yet," When he realized what he had said, he gave a meek smile, "Um, forget I said that,"  
"Sensei, have you gotten around to blessing your room yet?" one girl asked with a giggle. "Blessing this room?" he asked, "What's that? I've never heard of it,"  
"Y'know," the girl smirked, "'Blessing' the room, with a girl,"  
"You mean having sex with a girl in my room?" he asked, figuring the double meaning of the word after a moment.  
The girl said, "Um, I didn't want to put it so bluntly,"  
"What makes you think that?" he asked, "I'm a virgin,"  
He had never had sex when he was sixteen. That he was sure of. As to whether he was referring to himself, or his sixteen year old body, no one knew.  
The girls looked at one another, surprised at how easily Ranma proclaimed it, and in front of so many girls. This surprised them because there was a characteristic to Ranma that made them believe he could bed any woman that he wanted if he wanted to.  
"Why do you look all surprised?" Ranma asked.  
"It seems like you really don't care what other people think," the girl said, "That's very admirable. I don't know about you, but when I was around your age, I remember every boy desperately trying to score with a girl to been seen as 'a man' so to speak,"  
Many of the girls nodded in agreement, reminiscing of their childhoods.  
"Really?" Ranma asked, smirking, "That's what it means to be 'a man', to sleep with someone?"  
"Well, yeah," they said.  
"Boys were such jerks then," one girls recalled, "They used to tell tall tales about who they've slept with and even lie about it," A beautiful woman now, she remembered one guy lying that he had slept with her to impress his friends back when she went to high school.  
Ranma shrugged, "I never knew that. It's news to me,"  
"You are one odd person, sensei," several of them mentioned, "You're very very different from many boys your age,"  
"Maybe it's because I'm not that age," Ranma smirked.  
"What do you mean by that?" they asked.  
He waved a dismissive hand, "Don't worry about it,"  
"Well, if there comes a time when you do meet that special someone, be sure to carry a condom with you," one woman said, feeling a bit weird to be giving advice like that.  
"A condom? What's that?" he asked. In the future, condoms didn't exist. There were no such things as sexually transmitted diseases or unwanted pregnancies. Medicine had evolved up to the point where swallowing a single pill five minutes before intercourse can make anyone immune to all possible risks of having sex.  
Many of the women fell to the ground from shock.  
"You've got to be kidding me," one girl said, "You know, the thing you put on your, well, y'know,"  
Ranma scratched his head as he tried to remember. He didn't really like talking about sex. This was because, back home, whenever he talked about it, someone like Misato would suggest that they live spontaneous and have sex.  
"Oh, those," he recalled after a moment, "I think I know whatcha talking about. They're like balloons and make really good water balloons if you fill 'em up with water and tie the open end?"  
They nodded.  
"What about it?" he asked.  
"Well, you should carry one with you at all times," one girl said, very surprised to be saying these things to Ranma. Ranma was her sensei, afterall.  
Ranma pointed to himself, "Me? I should carry one? Why the hell should I carry one?"  
"In case you meet that special someone," the girl said, "Haven't you ever heard of the saying 'Got no glove, get no love',"  
"So?" Ranma said, "That's too bad for the girl then,"  
"What?" the group shouted.  
"Why the hell should I carry one?" Ranma asked, "The girl should carry one, not the guy. It's the girls that wants to have sex all the time. So why should the guy be the one carrying it?"  
"Yeah, right," the girls laughed, "If you really think that way about it, it looks like you'll be abstaining from it for a long long time,"  
Ranma shrugged, "If you say so,"  
The fact that Ranma seemed totally convinced in what he was saying made all the girls confused. They could have sworn that he was just messing around with them with a comment like that but it seemed like he really did believe in it.  
"Wait, you really think that girls are the ones that are always looking for sex?" one girl asked, stunned.  
Ranma nodded, "Yep. Girls are interested in having sex more than guys,"  
"You're crazy to think that," many of them said that, "It's the other way around,"  
Ranma gestured toward himself, "So lemme get this straight. Since you girls have met me, it never crossed your minds about having sex with me?"  
All the girls blushed deep shades of red.  
"C'mon girls, raise your hands if it has crossed your mind," Ranma said, crossing his hands in front of his chest, "No need to be embarrassed. We're all adults,"  
"I dunno about that," one girl smirked, "Afterall, you're the youngest one in this room by at least five years,"  
Ranma chuckled, "You'll be surprised at how much of an adult I am. Don't judge a book by its cover,"  
He found it ironic that all the girls in the room thought he was the youngest in the room, and by more than five years when in reality, he was more than three times older than the oldest person in the room.  
One girl raised her hand. She didn't seem all that embarrassed. She was a very flirtatious woman of the group and several times she had mentioned sexual things about Ranma and how sad she was of how young Ranma was.  
Many girls looked at her. Before long, several more girls raised their hands. As more girls started raising their hands, the others too embarrassed realized they really had nothing to be embarrassed about and raised their hands. Before long, every girl in the room had their hands raised.  
Ranma was surprised that every single girl in the room had thought about having sex with him.  
"Wow," he said, "All you girls are horn dogs. I'm sixteen. If this was the United States, you're all pedophiles,"  
"There's a difference between thinking about it, and actually trying to do it," one girl said defensively, "What, you think you're so innocent that you've not thought about things like that as well?"  
Ranma thought about it for a moment, "Y'have a point,"  
Very curious, one girl asked, "Since we're all being adults, why don't you indicate which one of us you've thought about having sex with?"  
"None actually," he said truthfully.  
"Get the hell out of here!" they said, ashamed to having been tricked. It started to dawn on every one of them that Ranma was now aware that they have thought of Ranma in a sexual way while none of them had any idea if he thought of them in a sexual way.  
Ranma said, "I have thought about how cool it would've been if all the girls from the class did one huge orgy,"  
"Ranma!" they all shouted, blushing a deep shade of red.  
Ranma held his hands up defensively, "What?"

Ranma came down the stares, a group of girls glaring at his back as he did so.  
"It's not like I have a video camera," he said, "So it's not like you girls will hafta worry about it leaking on the Internet or something about what COULD go on in the dojo behind closed doors if y'know what I mean,"  
"What are you guys talking about?" one girl asked at the bottom of the stairs.  
"Nothing to worry about," he said dismissively.  
A couple dozen girls were gathered around downstairs, more and more people showing up. Kiima and Shampoo had tended to the door as Ranma went about giving a tour of the house to the first group that arrived.  
Ranma looked around and noticed that there was not a single guy in the group.  
"Holy crap," he muttered.  
Everyone stopped chatting to look up toward Ranma.  
"What?" a few of them asked, curious and worried.  
"Am I, like, the only freaking guy in this entire house?" he asked.  
One girl smirked at him, "You say that as if it's a bad thing. I betcha right now, 99% of all guys out there would love to be in your position,"  
Ranma laughed, "Yeah, right. Why would I want a house full of girls and no guys? Next thing I know, I'm gonna turn around and find scented candles all over the place and weird frilly stuff covering the tables. No thank you,"  
"That is probably one of the most sexist, chauvinistic comments I have ever heard," one girl said.  
Ranma laughed, "You haven't hung around me long enough. I can be a whole lot more worse than that. That's for sure. Anyway, don't you girls have, like, boyfriends or husbands to drag here to the party to help even out the boy/girl ratio? Jeez, this is ridiculous," Looking about, he noticed dishes upon dishes of snacks and food for the party that the girls have brought. They were all placed about in the livingroom, resting on top of the table, couch, and television.  
"Holy crap, how much food didja girls bring?" he said, scratching the back of his head, "Did each bring something? Who the heck's gonna eat all this stuff, me? Are any of you girls gonna even consider eating all these snacks or are you gonna make this really hard on me and be on some kinda diet as an entire collective?"  
"You are really tactless, sensei," one girls said, almost offended. She wasn't really offended or such, used to Ranma's lack of tact. But still, Ranma did seem to not think before he spoke.  
Ranma sighed, "Man, we have enough food for around two hundred people, and there's only around fifty people here,"  
"More will show up," someone stated confidently.  
"How does that help?" Ranma asked, "They're probably gonna bring more food as well. Do you girls have some kinda party etiquette everyone follows that I dunno about? Y'know, like, 'Always bring food to a party you're invited to' or something like that? Because if that's the case, we're gonna have overabundance of food,"  
"I'll take the food I brought back," one girl offered, "I didn't realize that it was going to turn out like this,"  
Ranma sighed, "Forget it. It's not your fault. Actually, I'm kinda flattered that all you girls offered to do something like help out and bring some extra food. Unfortunately, I guess it's just my luck that each and every one of you brought food,"  
"What do you think we should do with it?" someone answered.  
Ranma thought for a moment.  
"How about a food fight?" he suggested.  
All the girls' attention turned toward him in an instant, all the girls around him showing signs of disbelief at the suggestion.  
"No?" he asked.  
"Of course not!" all the girls said.  
"All right," he said, "Forget I mentioned it," He scratched his chin for a moment, "Well, I guess we can always donate this stuff to the needy and such. I'm sure if we bring all of this stuff to some kinda homeless shelter or such, they'll be more than happy to take it,"  
The girls smiled warmly at Ranma.  
"That's a very noble thing to do," one said, "You have a very good heart. You're a really good person,"  
Ranma laughed, "Me? A good person? Ha. I robbed a bank this morning. I don't think that's exactly what a good person does nowadays,"  
The girls laughed, not believing him. They could never bring themselves to believe that Ranma, their sensei, was capable of doing something like robbing a bank.  
"You girls know where there's a shelter around here where we can donate all this food?" he asked.  
"There's one around four blocks south of here," one of them mentioned, "It's not long of a walk,"  
Ranma asked everyone, "What do you girls say? Up for a little walk to the shelter so we can drop all this food off? I'm sure more people need all this food than we do,"  
"We don't mind," many of them said. Most of them knew that the food would go to waste if no one wanted it. The best thing to do was to give it away at the shelter to those in need. Sure, some of them were snacks and provided little nutritional value, but it was sure better than nothing.  
"We should wait around for the others to arrive," someone suggested, "That way, if they do bring food like expected, they can come along. It can save you having to do more than one trip. One for us and one for whatever group that will be around after we all get back,"  
Ranma smiled warmly at the girl, "That's a good idea. Thanks for suggesting it,"  
"Um, you're welcome," she blushed a bit. Considering she was a good ten years older than Ranma, she found it odd that she was blushing under the gaze of a sixteen year old.  
Ranma headed for the door, "In the meanwhile, I'm gonna head out,"  
"Where are you going?" Shampoo asked.  
"To look for some guys," Ranma said, "There are way too many girls here at this party,"  
"Are you so against having this many girls in one place?" one of them asked.  
Ranma said, "Think about it. A buncha girls and one guy. It's only a matter of time before this turns into some kinda feminist movement where I'm the whipping boy,"  
All the girls started laughing. Ranma was such an amusing person, what with his way of thinking.  
"I find it rather surprising that you don't get all nervous and such," one girl comment, trying to say so in a sexy voice, "Most guys would be nervous hanging around so many beautiful girls such as ourselves. With so many beautiful and successful women in one room, you'd think any guy would feel intimidated,"  
All the girls laughed as they agreed, going with the flow. Ranma didn't seem at all nervous, "What the hell do I hafta be all nervous about? It's not like you girls can beat me up,"  
"Ranma!" they shouted.  
"What?" he asked, "It's true,"  
They glared at him. But after a moment, they started laughing. It seemed like the atmosphere of being among so many fellow females made most of the girls more relaxed. It was as if they were starting to realize that they could start having fun instead of worrying over guys left and right hitting on them. He shrugged.  
But then again, I guess I shouldn't be all that surprised that there aren't many guys here, Ranma thought. I don't usually get along well with guys.  
He scratched his head. Then again, he doesn't get along all that well with girls either.  
The girls back home consider Ranma a human Japanese fighting fish. Where ever there were other guys around, he and they don't really get along. Like Ryoga and Ranma for instance. There really is no reason for them to fight each other but they fight anyway, and all the time. Ranma had been in more than a few fights with random strangers before.  
It was as if every guy out there could somehow sense that he was a strong individual and usually messed with him to test themselves, to see how they stand up against someone like Ranma. Afterall, men liked to impress women by showing off how strong they were. What better way than to start a fight with someone as strong as Ranma, a person who shuns fighting?  
Then again, it could also be a jealousy thing, because Ranma seemed to inadvertently attract women, taking them away from the group for guys to choose from.  
"C'mon, let's get some music going," one girl suggested, changing the subject, "Where do you keep your stereo system?"  
Ranma jerked a thumb over his back, "It's out in the back porch. Unfortunately, I have no CDs,"  
"There's no music to play except for, what was that called, oh yeah, radio," he said, "At least for now. I know someone that's gonna be bringing over some music and should be here soon,"  
"The radio is fine for now," they said.  
Everyone followed Ranma outside to the back of the house. Once there, they gasped in surprise at the setup. Ranma's audio system most likely rivaled those of audio systems for dance clubs. "How the heck you get these speakers here?" one girl asked, "You must've needed a forklift,"  
Ranma shrugged, "Maybe,"  
One girl stood in front of the audio system and began inspecting it. After a few moments, she figured out how to turn on the radio. Unfortunately for Ranma, the sound system had the volume on the highest setting when the music kicked in. Everyone closed their hands on their ears as the loud music threatened to blow everyone's ear drums.  
Ranma quickly forward to turn down the volume, but not before all the windows of the back of his house shattered from the loud music.  
"I'm so sorry!" the girl said, "I didn't realize that that was going to happen,"  
Ranma quickly looked around, "Is everyone okay? Check yourselves to make sure none of you got hurt from the flying glass,"  
All the girls did as Ranma asked, inspecting themselves. After a few minutes, it was realized that none of them were hurt. They glanced toward Ranma and had this rather impressed look on their faces, having realized that Ranma was the first to react and the first to ask if everyone was all right. It was as if their safety was his highest priority.  
"I'm glad everyone's all right," Ranma said, "I'd didn't realize that I had set the system up with the volume on its highest setting. I guess I should've done a test run before everyone showed up. Sorry about that,"  
"Is it me or does it really suck that he's only sixteen which means he's off-  
limits?" one girl asked another.  
Several girls that heard snickered.  
"On a side note..." Ranma laughed, "Wow, that was loud. Didja see that? That was so cool. We should am these speakers at cars and see if we can blow out their windows as they drive by,"  
Those girls' face faulted. For a man that seemed to exude sense of maturity not found in regular sixteen year olds, Ranma seemed to always do something that reminds them that he was indeed a young man.  
"Now most of your windows are broken," they said, feeling is if it was all their fault.  
"So?" he said, "It's just a few broken windows. As long as no one's hurt, that's all that matters,"  
"You sure care a lot about us," one girl said, blushing, "You really know how to make a girl feel special. Too bad you're sixteen. If I try seducing you, it'd be like robbing the cradle on my part,"  
Most of the girls around laughed. It seemed like many of them were starting to realize that Ranma really was a pretty good guy with a good head on his shoulders, and that it was a shame that he was much younger than even the second young girl there, Shampoo being the youngest.  
Ranma heard the doorbell coming from the house.  
"I'll go answer that," he said, "You girls, go have some fun. I'll be right back. See if you girls can try and get the music started and not blow some eardrums this time around,"  
Ranma disappeared into the house and went to the front entrance.  
When he opened the door, he was pleasantly surprised to see Akane and Kasumi and Nabiki.  
"Wow," Ranma said, "Perfect timing, Akane. I'm really glad you're here,"  
Akane blushed, "R-really?"  
"Yeah, you bring the CDs?" he asked.  
"Oh," she seemed disappointed for a moment. She then put on a happy face and nodded, holding out a pack of CDs, "Here you go,"  
"Thanks," he said. He smiled toward Kasumi and Nabiki, "I didn't know you girls were going to come,"  
"Oh my, we weren't invited?" Kasumi said.  
Ranma quickly waved his hands, "No. No. Not at all. I didn't mean to say it that way,"  
Nabiki said, "We weren't really doing anything tonight and figured you wouldn't mind if we stopped by. Your dad and my dad went to some town meeting so it would've only been Kasumi and myself being home. Akane suggested we come along,"  
"Oh my, I hear really loud music," Kasumi commented.  
Ranma cast Kasumi a quick glance. Thinking about it, he realized that if Soun and Genma were gone, and that Akane and Nabiki had come to the party, that would've meant Kasumi would be home all alone. He was pretty sure that Nabiki would had showed up at the party with Akane since she liked parties.  
Ranma stepped aside for the three girls to come in. As they walked by, Ranma noticed Kasumi carrying a piece a plate of food.  
"Ooh, you brought some food," Ranma commented.  
"I figured that we should bring something for you," Kasumi said, "I hope you like it,"  
"Who made it?" Ranma asked bluntly, "Did you or Akane make it?"  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Akane found herself getting angry.  
Ranma said, "Well, if Akane made it, then I'm not gonna eat it,"  
"Ranma!" she said in an acidic voice.  
"I made it," Kasumi smiled sweetly.  
Ranma smiled, "Cool,"  
"I hope you don't mind," Kasumi said.  
"Of course not," he said, "I'm glad you brought something,"  
Nabiki smirked, gesturing toward all those plates of food laid out throughout the livingroom, "I bet. You must be every bit as happy to receive her food as everyone else,"  
Ranma gave a slight smile, "Don't worry about those. I'm gonna donate them to charity after everyone gets here,"  
"What, you're gonna do the same for Kasumi's food as well?" Akane asked, "Kasumi spent a lot of time preparing it,"  
Ranma said, "Not quite. I'm gonna save hers. I have no idea how good the other food is, but I know what I like so I have every intention of holding onto Kasumi's food,"  
Kasumi blushed, "Thank you, Ranma. That's very sweet of you,"  
Nabiki said, "Man, if that's the case, maybe it would have been better if Ranma got engaged to Kasumi right off the bat instead of to Akane,"  
Ranma blushed. Akane glared at him.  
"How many people are here?" Akane asked, wanting to change the subject,  
"Lots," Ranma said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder, "However, there's more on the way. Everyone that's here right now are out in the backyard,"  
"Wow, that's a high-definition television!" came Nabiki's voice, "I didn't even know these things are out on the market yet!"  
"Huh?" he glanced into the livingroom where he saw Nabiki basically gawking over the television set, "Oh, that. Yeah. What about it?"  
"This must've cost a fortune," Nabiki said.  
Ranma shrugged, "Probably. Anyway, who cares about stuff like that. Let's all head out back where everyone's already gathered,"  
"Okay," they all agreed.  
As they were about to walk into the house to head out the backdoor, Ranma sensed some kind of danger coming which put him on alert.  
"Something the matter?" Akane asked curious.  
"Something's not right," he looked around out the front door for something out of the ordinary, something suspicious. Attuned to sensing imminent danger, Ranma knew that something wasn't right.  
He caught a flash of light out of the corner of his eye. His body reacted before his mind could figure out what was happening, jumping backwards and into the house when a massive spherical object crashed down on the front of the house.  
The ground shook as the blast enveloped the front portion of the house, causing it to collapse in on itself.  
His eyes widened in surprise as he looked up and saw the ceiling collapse down upon him. He braced himself for the impact but stopped when he realized something, that Akane, Nabiki, and Kasumi had been near him a second ago.  
Looking around frantically, worried to death over their welfare, Ranma caught a glimpse of Akane's back and she could be seen trying to shove Nabiki and Kasumi out of the way just moments before the entire front portion of the house collapsed down upon Ranma and them.  
The dust caused from the collapse soon settled as Ranma quickly dug himself out of all the debris.  
Once topside, Ranma looked around to survey what had happened. He found his mouth agape at the sight of half the entire house missing, collapsed in on itself. He could even see the bedrooms on the second floor throw that massive opening that used to be the house's front.  
He glanced behind him toward the street where he saw a man with giant wings coming hovering down and landing softly on the walkway that lead to the front of the house.  
Ranma recognized that man. It was Saffron, now transformed into his adult form. He recognized Saffron from when he fought him many many years ago. However, this Saffron looked different, possessing a fiery glow about him and an aura of immense power. That was because, unlike then, this Saffron was fully transformed. The Saffron then had had his transformation interrupted by Ranma so he hadn't been able to transform into his true self.  
Saffron smirked at Ranma. He had no real idea where Ranma or Kiima was so he couldn't believe his luck when he spotted Ranma standing by the front of a house as he was on his way toward the Kuno estate, where Ranma's whereabouts were last known.  
It seemed like the fireball Saffron had shot toward him and caught Ranma's attention for Ranma was staring at him in complete shock, most likely awed at the impressive sight that was Saffron's adult form.  
"What the hell are you doing here?" Ranma asked, "Did you do that?"  
Saffron smirked, "What better what to catch your attention than to do something like that, don't you think? Consider it payback for your hitting me on our last encounter,"  
The thought of Akane and Kasumi and Nabiki under all that rubble suddenly crossed Ranma's mind. In an instant, Ranma forgot about Saffron and why or how he was there in the first place, replaced by his overwhelming concern for the three girls.  
"What's going on here?" a group of girls asked as they rounded the corner of the house to inspect, "It felt like some kind of earthquake had occurred. My God! What happened?"  
Everyone came skidding to a halt when they saw the entire front portion of the house gone. They glanced toward Ranma for answers but saw him frantically digging at the rubble.  
They just watched, confused as to what was going on, watching in surprise as giant pieces of debris were picked up and toss away by Ranma as he tried to unearth something.  
Ranma didn't hear the many questions being thrown his way, too caught up at the moment of finding Akane, Nabiki, and Kasumi buried under all that rubble. "Don't turn your back on me, landling!" Saffron sneered toward Ranma as he furiously continued digging, "I have come back for a rematch,"  
One of the females among the group noticed Saffron standing there.  
"Saffron-sama?" Kiima's eyes widened in surprise upon recognize Saffron, "Y-  
you're here!"  
Saffron snorted in annoyance, "I have come to defeat that landling, Ranma. Because of the humiliation he had given me the other day, I have come back to return the favor a hundred fold,"  
"B-but isn't your transformation supposed to take four days?" she asked, approaching him.  
"I don't need to be fully transformed," Saffron laughed confidently, "I don't need the full four days to transform to defeat some landling like Ranma,"  
Kiima glanced in the direction of Ranma upon hearing his name.  
"No! No! No! No!" Ranma was telling himself over and over again and he went about removing debris, "Please don't be dead!"  
After a minute, Ranma finally managed to unbury the girls. The color drained from his eyes and he saw all three of them lying very still where they lay.  
"Oh my god!" several of the girls rushed onto the debris to be by Ranma's side, to tend to the casualties.  
"Get away from me!" Ranma sneered, memories of his past flashing through his mind. This was very very similar to what he had gone through when the Nerima Massacre had occurred, removing tons of debris to reach the dead bodies of his loved ones.  
"Ranma, relax, I'm a doctor," one of the women said.  
He looked up toward one of his students, "Y-you are?" A wave of relief flooded over him upon hearing that, "Please, do something to help them,"  
The women ignored him, time being of the essence. She proceeded to check for pulses of each girls. Ranma just watched, unblinking as the woman went about doing this. He noticed that Kasumi had a large gash on her forehead, her delicate face now scarred should she live through this ordeal.  
"A-are they all right?" Ranma asked, inwardly praying that all three of them are all right.  
"Yeah," the woman answered, "They're all unconscious, but they're okay,"  
"T-thank goodness!" Ranma hugged the woman like she had been the one that saved the three girls.  
"Enough with the melodrama!" came Saffron's impatient voice, "Ranma, I have come for my rematch!"  
Ranma felt his blood began to boil as he glanced over toward Saffron. Although he had no idea exactly what had happened, he was damn sure that all the destruction that had occurred was all because of Saffron. Therefore, based on logic, Akane, Kasumi, and Nabiki getting hurt in the process was also Saffron's fault.  
He slowly stood up to face Saffron. Ranma's face twisted in that of absolute contempt toward the man standing before. Kiima couldn't help but feel this sense of worry about what was to come. "You, Saffron, are gonna pay for what you did!" Ranma sneered.  
Saffron laughed, "Don't make me laugh with some meaningless threat like that!"  
Ranma dashed forward and grabbed Saffron by the neck, lifting him off the ground with one hand before Saffron even realized what had happened. All he could do was yelp in surprise as he found himself being choked, completely unable to breath.  
Ranma brought Saffron's face down close to his, so that he could look right into Saffron's eyes.  
"Saffron, you have fucked with the wrong person!"

new stuff 12/14

"Let go of me!" Saffron sneered.  
While still being held by his neck, realizing that he could not use his scepter-like weapon, the Kinjankan because he needed room to swing it around, he raised his other hand right toward Ranma's chest and shot out a fireball.  
Ranma used his free hand to deflect it, sending it flying into the sky where it disappeared beyond the heavens. This stunned Saffron because he never knew that it was possible, to have a fireball deflected, let alone from such a close proximity. A special ability of Ranma's, being able to deflect projectiles that should explode, doing something like that was second nature. He was no more worried about deflecting a fireball than he was of deflecting a beach ball.  
"You little punk, you think something so simple like that's gonna get me?" Ranma sneered, "You're dead wrong!"  
He tossed Saffron to the side like a rag doll, Saffron flying bodily through the air a fifty feet where he crashed into the outer wall that surrounded the house adjacent to Ranma's half-destroyed house. Saffron didn't hit the wall hard enough that he crashed through it but he did hit it hard enough that he made a large crack in it before falling down to the ground. While physically unhurt from the impact, Saffron's pride seemed more hurt than any.  
Saffron quickly got to his, his voice dripping with anger, "You'll pay for that!"  
"Save it for someone who gives a shit!" Ranma taunted.  
Saffron stuck his weapon in the ground as he spread out his wings, reaching his arms behind his back and ripping them off with his bare hands. The moment his wings were ripped off, a new pair of wings shot out of his back to replace them. It reminded Ranma of the way Ryoga could take off bandana's that seemed to be instantly replaced by a bandana underneath.  
Without pausing for a second, Saffron threw them toward Ranma like giant razor-sharp flaming sickles.  
Ranma caught both wings with his hands, one with each hand, tossing right back at Saffron before the flames surrounding the wings could burn his hands.  
"Impossible!" Saffron's eyes widened in shock as he quickly staggered backwards, tripping over the curb and falling down onto his back as the flaming wings sailed right over him, slicing through the wall behind him before arcing upward and disappearing up beyond the clouds.  
Ranma proceeded to walk toward Saffron as Saffron started getting back up to his feet.  
"I told you, you fucked with the wrong person!" Ranma said.  
"Those were merely flukes!" Saffron sneered, "No! It is you who messed with the wrong person! I am Immortal-!"  
Saffron's speech was interrupted as Ranma dashed forward and kicked him. Saffron was sent flying sideways down the street where he crashed up against the back of a parked car, bouncing over it where he came to a sliding halt after a good hundred feet, his wings ruffled from taking the brunt of the impact and scraping on the ground.  
"You think being an Immortal scares me?" Ranma said, "You think I dunno how to deal with Immortals? I can eat you Immortals for breakfast!"  
Saffron got up to his feet and extended his scepter toward Ranma. He had never lost his scepter, having realized that if he didn't hold on tight to it, there was a chance Ranma could seize his weapon like before. He wasn't an idiot that he didn't learn from his mistakes.  
"I will turn your bones to ashes for that!" Saffron shouted, pointing his scepter toward Ranma, intent on using his weapon to magnify the power of his fireballs.  
"You think that Kinjankan's gonna scare me?" Ranma said coldly.  
Ranma jammed an index finger down into the ground, "Bakusai Tenketsu Revised!"  
Even though Ranma was over a hundred feet away when he executed that technique, the ground directly below Saffron exploded upward, catching him by surprise, sending him flying upward as stone shrapnel struck his body. Saffron sneered, hating Ranma even more now, as his wings flapped several times so he could right himself in mid-air.  
"You'll pay for that!" Saffron shouted in pure anger.  
"Let's see you try and collect!" he heard Ranma's voice from the ground below.  
Looking down, Saffron caught sight of a car flying straight toward him, thrown by Ranma. It turned out that Ranma had thrown the car Saffron had smashed into a moment ago, Ranma using the 'Bakusai Tenketsu Revised' technique to set Saffron up to be hit by a thrown car.  
Saffron yelped in surprised as the front fender of the thrown car slammed into his stomach. Luckily for him, he twisted in the air to free himself from ending up being brought down with the car as it slammed down on the ground front-first.  
Before he could do anything, Saffron felt searing pain shoot through his back as a ki-blast erupted upward from below him, incinerating his wings as it shot right behind him and disappeared beyond the clouds high above.  
Saffron fell down a good forty of fifty feet where he crashed down on the ground hard right by where Ranma was stand.  
"You're nothing but a little punk," Ranma glared down at Saffron in discontent.  
"How dare you!" Saffron swing his scepter toward Ranma's legs, as if intent on using it to sever his opponent's legs at the kneecaps.  
Ranma grabbed the scepter and yanked it out of Saffron's grasp. "I know all about the Kinjankan," Ranma said, holding the weapon in his hands, "It's indestructible. However, that doesn't mean it can't be lost for a while,"  
With that said, Ranma held the weapon like that of a javelin. He turned around and faced south and started running away from Saffron, to get a running start. After around a dozen steps, Ranma threw it like a javelin with all his might, sending it flying through the air where it got smaller and smaller, eventually disappeared from view as it flew too far away for the eye to see. Ranma had no idea just how hard or far he had thrown in, but hoped he threw it hard enough that it would land somewhere in the ocean a great deal south from where they were.  
"Good luck finding your precious lil Kinjankan," Ranma said.  
"Wretched landling! How dare you!" Saffron shouted, running toward Ranma, caught up in blind rage upon realizing what Ranma had done, slashing toward him with those claws of his.  
"Oh, I dare!" Ranma intercepted the incoming attack and used Saffron's own momentum against him, throwing him through the air where he landed on his back a short distance away.  
Saffron started getting to his feet again. Although his pride was hurt, his body wasn't. He was actually unscathed.  
"Your attacks are useless against someone like myself!" Saffron laughed "Don't you realize that I am a god?"  
"So?" Ranma said, not impressed, "That's all you are, 'a god'. That means shit to someone that used to be 'God'!"  
Ranma quickly crouched low to the ground and executed a perfect sweep kick, knocking Saffron off his feet. All Saffron could do was yelp in surprise at how quickly Ranma had managed to hit him, shocked at his opponent's blinding speed.  
Before Saffron landed on the ground after being swept, Ranma recovered from his attack stepped forward, stamping his foot down hard on the ground, as he pivoted his upper body around, bringing a fist downward and hitting Saffron devastatingly hard in the chest, sending him crashing down on the ground with immense force.  
"Oof!" Saffron found the wind knocked out of him.  
The ground below them caved downward from the impact before finally collapsing, the both of them ending up falling down into the sewers below, debris falling down on the both of them.  
"Goddamnit!" Ranma muttered to himself as he removed the large chunks of stone on top of him. After he had freed himself, he proceeded to climb up the side of the crater and up toward the sidewalk.  
Once he made it topside, he turned around and looked back down in the middle of the crater where Saffron was buried underneath a bit of debris, ready for anything.  
He noticed some movement out of the corner of his eyes. Turning his gaze toward the movement, he found himself looking at a large group of girls approaching him as he stood by the edge of the crater. All the girls, shocked at what they had seen, wanted to ask Ranma what had just happened, many questions on their minds.  
Never having seen someone pick up and throw a car or shooting ki-blasts, they had no idea how to react. They didn't know if they should be fearful of Ranma or curious about him. It turned out that, while most of them seemed actually fearful what the power he had displayed, four of them seemed rather curious about him enough to want to approach him in the middle of the battle to ask him many questions.  
"What's going on?"  
"Who was that guy you were fighting?"  
"Did I see you throw a car?" "How's that humanly possible, to throw something like a car?"  
"What was that round thing that shot out of your hands?"  
"Why are you and that winged-guy fighting?"  
"Girls, girls, please, get away from here!" he said, the utmost concern in his voice, "You're in danger!"  
Fireballs started erupting from the pile of debris and upward as Saffron went about using his fireballs to free himself from being buried alive.  
Saffron, now fuming, was intent on letting loose all his rage on Ranma. It was the whole reason why Ranma was antagonizing him like that to begin with, because the only way to really defeat Saffron was to cause him to expend all of his heat. Afterall, a fuming Saffron meant it was just a matter of time before he burnt himself out and reverted into his egg form, all his heat expended.  
Ranma, realizing that all the girls near him were in danger, didn't wait to explain about what was going on. Instead, he grabbed all four girls, two girls under each arm, and made a break away from the crater.  
He glance back over his shoulder and spied Saffron as he floated up from the crater, a massive aura of red-hot flames surrounding him.  
"Die!" Saffron shouted, extending a hand toward Ranma's retreating form and shooting a fireball at him.  
Ranma was struck in the back, sent flying through the air, the girls yelping in surprise as they found themselves flying through the air along with him. He twisted in the air and landed on the ground.  
"Ow! Hot! Hot! Hot!" Ranma said, feeling a burning sensation in his back. He ignored the pain as he glanced in the direction of Saffron just in time to see another fireball flying straight toward him. Realizing he was going to be hit again, he quickly released his hold of the girls and shoved them out of the way.  
"Get away from here!" he shouted toward them right before being hit in the chest by the fireball and sent flying.  
He twisted in the air again and landed on his feet again. He winced in pain as he rubbed at his chest furiously, "Goddamn! That stings,"  
Look in the direction of the crater, he saw Saffron hovering toward him, his feet a few inches off the ground, a smirk on his face.  
"It seems like I've found your weakness," Saffron said wryly, "It seems like you care about these pathetic landlings,"  
Ranma glared at Saffron. He cast his gaze toward the side where he saw all four girls disappearing around a corner down the block. Unfortunately, there were several dozen girls not too far away, standing right by the front of Ranma's house watching everything, trying to keep a good distance away.  
It was unfortunate that everyone observing, believing that they were far enough away to be safe, didn't realize that they could be easily be hurt or killed should Saffron decide to shoot a fireball in their general direction. Saffron extended a hand toward the group of girls as if to shoot a fireball toward them.  
"No!" Ranma shouted, dashing forward and grabbing Saffron's hand, forcing it upward. That way, should a fireball shoot from Saffron's hand, it would end up shooting skyward where it would hit no one.  
Ranma found himself looking upward at Saffron as Saffron smirked.  
"I've got you!" he shouted as he extended his free hand forward right at Ranma's chest.  
He shot Ranma with a fireball, sending Ranma flying bodily backwards where he slammed against a parked car, bouncing over it where he came to a sliding halt a good distance away.  
"Pathetic landling," Saffron smirked at Ranma's direction as he could be seen getting back up to his feet a good distance away from him.  
Saffron had no intention of shooting a fireball into a crowd of innocent bystanders, but he was sure Ranma didn't know that and he was going to use that to his advantage. He knew that Ranma would get so distracted in protecting innocent bystanders that he would sacrifice his own body for them.  
Besides, he had noticed Kiima standing among the group and didn't want to risk hurting her as well. "Damn," Ranma muttered to himself, concerned about how the battle had just gotten much more complicated.  
Ranma watched as Saffron hovered toward him, grinning confidently, "It seems like I have an advantage in this here rematch,"  
Saffron made sure that one of his hands was pointed toward the group of girls still watching. Because none of the girls knew what Saffron was capable of doing, that they lives were in danger and in the direct path of a fireball, they just watched everything unfold, sill believing their distance away from the battle was their safety.  
Ranma regarded Saffron intently.  
Saffron started laughing, "You are nothing compared to me! Foolish landling, you have nothing on someone like myself-"  
As Saffron laughed, too caught up in himself, Ranma decked him, punching him extremely hard in the face, sending Saffron flying through the air and away from him, landing a good distance away. Ranma had no problems in using any opening that was available to him.  
"Moron!" Ranma said.  
Knowing that it would take a few seconds for Saffron to get back up, Ranma quickly ran up to where Saffron was, making sure he group of girls were located directly between him and Saffron. Should Saffron try to use his fireballs on the group, it would be useless because they would have to get past Ranma, and Ranma had no intention of letting a single one pass.  
"Why you!" Saffron sneered as he got back up to his feet, "How dare you attack me while I was talking-"  
"Since when was there a thing call etiquette in fighting?" Ranma said, walking up to Saffron and stopping right in front of him as he got back up to his feet, "It just goes to show you how much of a punk you are, thinking you're all that when you're not, needing to resort to attacking innocent people to get the upper hand in a fight,"  
"How dare you!" Saffron shouted loudly, the flaming aura surrounding him growing brighter.  
"Shut the hell up!" Ranma said, hitting Saffron in the face again, sending him flying again, "You're worse than Ryoga with all that 'How dare you!' crap,"  
He hit Saffron in a way that he ended up farther and farther away from the house, so that none of the girls could get caught up in the battle and end up getting hurt in the process.  
"I'll kill you!" Saffron shouted, blinded with pure rage.  
The flaming aura glowing around him blazed brightly, growing so large that actually enveloped Ranma, Ranma able to feel an intense heat but not so intense that he needed to take cover or risk getting burned alive.  
The aura suddenly took on a glowing form of a Phoenix as Saffron's body glowed a brilliant shade of red.  
"Die!" Saffron shouted, extended both hands forward straight toward Ranma.  
Ranma smirked as he dashed forward and grabbed both of Saffron's hands, forcing it upward toward the sky just as a massive column of fire that was well over twenty feet in diameter erupted from Saffron's extended hands, shooting skyward.  
Ranma held Saffron in this position for several seconds as Saffron, blinded with rage, released all of his heat in that final attack. However, because of Ranma's actions, he was unable to hit Ranma with it, wasting all of his remaining heat on a missed attack as it all travelled skyward.  
Saffron's body, still glowing bright red, started to shrink in on itself.  
Ranma stepped back, breathing a sigh of relief as he watched Saffron continue to shrink, eventually morphing down into a giant egg that was around the size of a basketball.  
He gazed down at the egg as it lay in the middle of the street, "I told you messed with the wrong guy," Saffron had been defeated.  
Ranma bent down and picked up the egg. Tucking it under his arm, he turned around and walked back toward the house. Arriving back at the house, he noticed at every girl there was staring at him, not knowing what to think or what to say. Kiima, whom had been among the group, noticed the egg tucked under Ranma's arm.  
"I-is that?" she began in disbelief.  
"Yeah," he said, "It seems like your Saffron isn't as tough as he thinks he is. I hafta give him some credit. He managed to get me a few good shots in on me before he finally lost,"  
He handed the egg to Kiima as she took it. Taking a hold of it as if it were a newborn baby.  
Looking around at the group of girls, he noticed that all of them seemed to be staring at him, a blush on their cheeks.  
"What?" he asked.  
"Um, you're naked," one girl said.  
Ranma looked down at himself and realized that he was indeed naked.

"I suggest you take Saffron with you and go back to Mount Phoenix," Kiima said nothing. She just stood there, regarding Ranma. The two of them stood alone, away from everyone else, talking in private.  
The sounds of sirens could be heard getting louder as local authorities and the ambulances got closer and closer to the house. Virtually all of the girls that had been at the party remained around the house despite Ranma asking them to go on home, that the party was over and there was no reason for them to stay.  
"I know you're loyal to Saffron and all I think it's best you go home," Ranma said, his gaze on one of the girls as she tended to Akane, Kasumi, and Nabiki, all three of them still unconscious.  
Kiima seemed to understand what Ranma was talking about. Although Saffron had yet to defeat Ranma like he had promised, it seemed like her servitude to Ranma no longer mattered. "If you stay, you're on your own," Ranma said, "As fun as it was getting to know you over the course of today and yesterday, today is gonna be the last day we meet whether you like it or not,"  
Kiima remained silent. "Saffron's got a lot to learn," Ranma stated coldly, "Even though he was in his adult form when he attacked me, he's still a child. It's because he's still a child that I spared his life, because he doesn't know better. He's still to young to know what's right or wrong,"  
Kiima said, "There's no way you can kill him even if you tried. He's immortal,"  
Ranma laughed at the comment, "You think I'm not incapable of killing Saffron if I really wanted to? I've fought Saffron before in a previous life after he had become fully transformed and could've beaten him as well. The difference now is that I'm significantly stronger now than what I used to be,"  
"What do you mean by that?" she asked, "You fought Saffron before in a previous life?" "Since I'm never going to see you again, I might as well tell you," he said, "I come from a different world. I'm from a future version of this world. I've already met you and Saffron on two occasions on my world,"  
"What?" Kiima said, "That's preposterous,"  
"Why do you think I know so much about you and Saffron yet you dunno anything about me? Why do you think I don't act like some sixteen year old kid even though I'm sixteen?" Ranma asked, "Even though this is your first encounter with me, this is actually my third encounter with you,"  
Kiima said nothing.  
"Look, I don't care whether or not you believe me," he shrugged, "I don't need to justify anything to anyone,"  
Kiima wanted to ask Ranma a million questions but nothing came to her lips when she wanted to speak.  
Ranma said, "Look, it's best you and Saffron go now. I'm sorry that I turned Saffron into a little kid again, but I don't care. He's a snot nose punk. It's too bad you're so blinded in your sense of loyalty to realize that,"  
Kiima looked down at the ground. She had noticed that Saffron seemed to have gotten rather bratty ever since he had met Ranma. If she really thought about it, Ranma had done nothing to provoke Saffron into harboring such hatred toward him. Also, Saffron trying to attack Ranma like that and Akane and Nabiki and Kasumi getting hurt in the process, that was something Kiima wanted to forget.  
"Look, I know you're not a bad person," Ranma said, "Hopefully, this time around, you can raise him up not to become what he just was, a spoiled brat that needs to know his place,"  
"I'm going to try," Kiima said, surprised how understanding Ranma was. Over the time she spent with him, even though it was brief, she noticed that Ranma really wasn't a bad person. He could've gotten rid of her quite easily by asking her to just go somewhere and wait but he didn't, choosing to put up with her so that she didn't have to feel miserable being in the predicament she was in.  
If she thought about it, having been stuck serving Ranma hadn't been all that bad. He never told her to do anything like Saffron always did. He spoke to her like a friend, not a servant. However, that was probably because he knew her much better than she knew him.  
"Just curious, how do you know us in the other world, your world?" she asked hypothetically.  
"We were friends," Ranma said, "You and me. Saffron and I never got along. Merely a clash in personalities. However, we fought alongside one another as allies against a great evil that attacked the world. I don't care to get into details about what,"  
"We were friends?" she asked.  
Ranma said, "More or less. Anyway, I'm sorry about what I did to the Kinjankan, but it couldn't be helped,"  
"Don't worry about it," Kiima said, "It might take some time, but we'll be able to find it. Besides, considering Saffron-sama's current situation, it is useless anyway,"  
"I think it's best you get going," Ranma said.  
"You do know, I'm not supposed to leave you," Kiima stated, "Because Saffron hasn't defeated you, I'm supposed to follow his command and remain by your side until he does,"  
Ranma said, "If you're supposed to continue to do as I ask you, then my final request is to take Saffron back to Mount Phoenix and raise him up right. If you can't follow that request due to some reason, then that's most unfortunate because my request will be for you to wait here for me. You have one guess on when I'll come back to get you,"  
"Let me guess...never," she asked.  
"Yep," he said, "It's your choice. Anyway, I've got things to do. Take care,"  
Ranma turned around and walked away from Kiima.  
Kiima stared at Ranma's back as he walked over to where Akane and Kasumi and Nabiki lay. She gave him a sad smile. Seeing him walking away made her realize that, no matter how much she tried, she couldn't hate Ranma. There was no reason for her to hate him. There was nothing he had done that could make her hate him.  
She cast a glance toward Shampoo and made brief eye contact. A silent message seemed to pass between them, as if they both said the same thing 'I'm sorry things turned out this way'.  
Kiima sighed. She cast Ranma one last glance.  
"Goodbye, Ranma," she said, "I wish you well,"  
Holding Saffron's egg tightly in her arms, Kiima's wings spread out from her body. With a great leap, Kiima took to the skies, heading West. All the girls standing nearby gasped in surprised upon seeing this, figuring the wings was some kind of prop.  
Kiima continued Westward, never looking back, too sad to look back.

Mrs. Hyusa rounded the corner and was shocked at what she saw.  
She was fashionably late to the party and were surprised at what she saw when she arrived. She didn't arrive until over an hour after the first guest had entered the house. This was because she had to head off to work to drop something off.  
When shey arrived at Ranma street, she saw a few dozen police cars and fire trucks crowding Ranma's street. There was debris everywhere and there was a large gaping hole in the middle of the street sagging down all the way into the sewer system.  
There was a large crowd of pedestrians gathered around, curious as to what had happened that had caused such damage. Kept a good distance away by local authorities.  
While very curious as to what had happened, shed decided it was best to get on over to Ranma's place. It was very likely he knew what had happened.  
When she managed to make their way through the crowds gathering about, she was shocked when she saw that Ranma's house was basically in ruins, half of it nothing but a pile of debris.  
Looking around she saw Ranma standing near several EMT workers transferring Akane's unconscious form onto a gurney to be carted over to the ambulance located in front of the house. Nabiki and Kasumi had already been transferred to other ambulances and were being driven to a nearby hospital.  
Shampoo was standing next to Ranma, a concerned look on her face. Although she didn't get along well with Akane, that didn't mean she wanted something like that to happen to her.  
"Isn't that Akane?" Mrs. Hyusa asked, recognizing Akane from when she trained at the dojo. If she recalled correctly, Akane was the daughter of the owner of the dojo.  
"Look who decides to show up," Ranma smirked, "Aren't we fashionably late? Yeah, that's Akane,"  
"What happened?" she asked, "Where is everyone?"  
"Bad things happened," Ranma jerked a thumb behind his back. No one was around save for Ranma and several EMT workers as they went about carting Akane away, "Everyone went home. The party was basically over before it began,"  
"What kind of bad things?" Mrs. Hyusa asked.  
"It's hard to explain," he said, "If you want, you can come with me to the hospital. Since you're were the last ones to show up, you've also haven't what I told everyone that saw what had happened.  
Shampoo looked toward the ground, as if unable to believe what Ranma had said about himself and who he was when he told everyone as a large group. Actually, no one really believed him but there was nothing they could do. Besides, Ranma didn't really care whether or not they believed him anyway. He figured it was best to let them know the truth since all of them could've gotten hurt during that battle. It was the least he could do.  
"Are you coming with us?" an EMT worker asked, as he and his colleague was wheeling Akane into the ambulance.  
Ranma cast Mrs. Hyusa a glance.  
"Okay, I'll come along," Mrs. Hyusa stated. She had no real idea how she was getting home since her car would be parked by Ranma's place but she was pretty sure she could call her husband to pick her up.  
Together, she and Shampoo and Ranma headed for the ambulance.  
"What about your house?" Mrs. Hyusa asked, "It's destroyed,"  
Ranma smirked as he glanced back over his shoulder and toward the half-missing house.  
"Heh, let's just say that it looks like I won't be getting my deposit back,"

"I'm not from this world," Ranma began, ignoring the fact that there was an EMT in the ambulance with them overhearing the conversation, "I'm from a future version of this world. Somehow, I think because of something God did by accident, I ended up in this world in the body of my sixteen year self,"  
"What?" Mrs. Hyusa asked.  
Ranma shrugged, "Don't worry, you're not the only person that reacted in the same way. Frankly, it's probably crazier that you would believe me than not. I'm kinda the living embodiment of how 'Fact is more unbelievable than fiction',"  
"No worry," Shampoo said, "Shampoo have trouble believing also,"  
Oddly enough, she didn't seem to harbor any inward resentment toward Mrs. Hyusa even though she seemed to be pretty close to Ranma.  
"I'm generally an open-minded woman, but with something like this, you're definitely going to have your work cut out for you trying to convince me," Mrs. Hyusa said after a brief pause.  
"You know all that damage that you saw in front of my house?" he asked, "Most of it was caused by me,"  
Mrs. Hyusa looked very skeptic, "Oh really?"  
Ranma glanced toward rear of the ambulance and contemplated opening the doors and shooting a ki-blast out of it to help show them first-hand of some of the things he was capable of. However, if he did that, that would draw a lot of attention on him, more than he wanted. "Look, it really doesn't bother me if you believe me or not," he said, "I'm just telling you how it is. I figure it's best that you hear about me and who I am over hearing it from someone else after I'm gone,"  
"After you're gone?" Mrs. Hyusa asked, "Where are you going?"  
"Back home," he said, "I've actually decided a short while ago that, if I stay around here, more things like this will eventually happen. The problem is that there's no telling if people might get hurt the next time around. I was lucky that no one got hurt too badly today," Akane, Nabiki, and Kasumi hadn't been hurt all that badly but were being taken to the hospital as a precaution. "Going home?" Mrs. Hyusa asked, "What do you mean by that? You mean back to living with your dad and such?"  
Ranma shook his head, "No, I mean back home as in my own world,"  
He glanced over where toward the EMT where he saw the man roll his eyes.  
"Hey, go do your job and take care of Akane," Ranma said in a stern voice, "You shouldn't be listening in on our conversation anyway,"  
The man said nothing as he quickly turned his attention toward onto tending to Akane.  
"Anyway," Ranma continued on, "I plan on going back to my own world. After what had happened, it made me realize that I really don't belong here. Luckily, I didn't find this out the hard way, when it's too late,"  
Mrs. Hyusa asked, "Well, exactly how do you plan on getting back to your own world?"  
"There's this special item called the nanban mirror," he answered matter-of-  
factly, "It has a special property that can allow me to travel to and from different worlds as well as timelines. I've been around on this world because the guy that has it doesn't show up in Nerima for around a month from now. I figure I can just hang around and wait for him to show up on his own but I don't think I have that luxury anymore. This world's timeline is completely out of whack with the timeline it's supposed to follow. For instance, the guy I fought again, Saffron, wasn't supposed to show up until around two years from now. The point is is that my being here is messing this world's timeline,"  
Ranma couldn't help but chuckle a bit. When has he been on a world an NOT messed it up in some what or another?  
"Anyway, I'm gonna be going home soon," Ranma said, "I figure it's best that you hear it from me first. That way, you can decide on whether or not I'm some kinda crackpot based on words from my own mouth instead of through the gossip of others,"  
Mrs. Hyusa said nothing, trying to drink in all that crazy information Ranma was giving her.  
"I know it's a lot to take in," he said, "Let's just say that it actually takes quite a while to hear my whole story. Heck, if my life story was some kinda fanfic series, it'd probably take at least week to read. That it, not unless you're one of those hardcore readers that would spend entire days sitting in front of a computer reading,"  
"Huh?" Mrs. Hyusa asked.  
Ranma waved a dismissive hand, "Don't worry. I talk about buncha weird stuff from time to time. Anyway, if you're really interested in hearing about who I am, just say so and I'll tell you,"  
"Of course I'd like to hear your story," Mrs. Hyusa said, "I may have a bit of trouble believing you, but I would like to hear it,"  
"Okay, I guess I should start from the beginning," he said.  
He took a deep breath, preparing himself to talk about the long and winding road that is his life's story.  
"I lost my friends and family in a thing called the Nerima Massacre..."

"I have friends that can help Shampoo out," Mrs. Hyusa said.  
She and Shampoo and Ranma were sitting around in the waiting room at a local hospital. Kasumi and Nabiki and Akane were being tended to by doctors, one of whom was one of the guests at the party that had checked them out before. Soun and Genma had been contacted not too long ago and were on their way. Shampoo asked, "How you help me out?"  
Ranma had thrown in a comment about what he was going to do to help Shampoo out for when he left since it was his fault Cologne, whom was supposed to take care of her here in Japan, had gone back to China. "Well, I have many friends that own their own businesses," she said to Shampoo, "I know several that run Chinese restaurants. I can have them give you a job waitressing if that's what you're interested in doing, if you're really in need of a job,"  
Ranma seemed surprised, "Whoa, you believe all the things I'm saying? If you are willing to help Shampoo out, then that must mean you believe some of the crazy stuff I'm saying,"  
Mrs. Hyusa said, "I'm not saying I believe you completely. Keep in mind all the stuff you've said in the ambulance and here at the hospital sounds downright inconceivable,"  
Ranma nodded, "You have a point there,"  
"You can help Shampoo out?" Shampoo asked, hopeful.  
Mrs. Hyusa nodded, "Yes. It wouldn't be too hard to do so. I need to make a few phone calls but that's about it,"  
"Aiya, Shampoo so happy," Shampoo said, hugging Mrs. Hyusa tightly.  
Mrs. Hyusa, found herself having trouble breathing but did her best to return the embrace, "Don't worry. It's not a problem,"  
"Wow, seeing two girls hug tightly is a bit of a turn on," Ranma chuckled.  
"Ranma!" Shampoo and Mrs. Hyusa quickly broke the embrace to shout at him.  
Ranma cleared his throat and said, "Anyway, I'm glad you can help Shampoo out. Once she has a job and is settled in on her own, I can leave without worry,"  
Shampoo's face became sad, "Shampoo don't want Ranma to leave,"  
"C'mon," Ranma said in a soft voice, "Y'know I can't stay. I don't belong here. And if you think of NOT taking a job to worry me about you into staying, you've got another think coming. I'll help you out, but if you don't want yourself to be helped, then I guess it can't be helped,"  
Shampoo said nothing. She had thought about if Ranma would stay or not if she didn't take the job but it seemed like Ranma had already answered the question for her. The door to the waiting room opened up and in entered Soun and Genma. Tears were streaming down Soun's cheeks.  
"My babies, what happened to them?" Soun said, extremely concerned.  
"Don't worry, they're all right," Ranma said, getting up to meet Soun and Genma, "They got a few bumps and scrapes but they're gonna be alright,"  
"Are you sure?" Soun wasn't convinced.  
Ranma nodded, "Yeah. They're fine. As a matter of fact, Moko Takeuchi's taking care them right now. Remember here, she's one of our students at the dojo. She's a doctor and assures us that all three girls are fine,"  
Soun sighed in relief, a heavy weight seemingly lifted from his shoulders.  
"What happened?" Soun asked, "How did this happen?"  
"It's a long story," Ranma sighed, realizing that he had yet more people to explain about who he was and how he didn't belong there.  
He gestured toward some empty seats by where Mrs. Hyusa and Shampoo were sitting.  
"I think you two should take a seat," Ranma said, "There's something I wanna tell ya. I dunno if you'll believe me or not, but I feel I need to tell you and get everything off my chest," "What is it, boy?" Genma asked.  
"To begin, I'm not the really the person you think I am," he stated, "My dad died decades ago,"  
Shampoo, Mrs. Hyusa, and Ranma exited the hospital very late in the evening, somewhere close to midnight. All three of them had stayed until they were able to check in on Akane, Nabiki, and Kasumi and make sure they were alright before deciding that they could go.  
Soun and Genma had volunteered to stay overnight at the hospital with the girls. They would be released sometime tomorrow, being kept there simply for observations.  
"I'm glad to find out that the three of them are all okay," Mrs. Hyusa commented, "Even though I wasn't there to see what had happened, it must've been terrible to see them get hurt like that,"  
"They're okay," Ranma said, "That's all that matters," After all three girls had woken up from their unconsciousness, Ranma hung around for a bit talking to them. He didn't bother explaining his story to Nabiki or Kasumi, having grown tired of doing so and asking Soun, Genma, and Akane to fill them in. Whether or not they wanted to do so was up to them.  
"It's a shame that your father doesn't believe you," Mrs. Hyusa commented, "But then again, if my daughter suddenly told me a story about her life being similar to what you had told him, I guess it's understandable on why he find everything unbelievable,"  
Genma had vehemently refused to believe a single word of what Ranma was saying. He believed that his son was crazy and even mentioned that he should seek help such as counseling.  
Ranma shrugged, "Don't worry about it. It doesn't bother me as much. I mean...he really isn't even my father. My father died a long time ago,"  
"I don't know about that," she stated, "Technically, he is your father, even if he is from a different world from yourself,"  
She found herself caught up in Ranma's fantastic story and actually starting to believe him. At least that was what she told herself. Although pragmatic by nature, a tale like that was wondrous and she really did want to believe in it.  
"Shampoo agree," Shampoo added, "If Shampoo meet another Shampoo in another world, that doesn't mean one Shampoo is fake while other is real. It mean both Shampoo real,"  
Ranma shrugged, showing signs of neither agreeing nor disagreeing with the comment.  
"What do you plan on doing about a place to stay?" Mrs. Hyusa asked, "If you want, the two of you can stay at my place. I have several guestrooms so accommodations aren't a problem,"  
Ranma cast a glance toward Shampoo, awaiting her input. Shampoo showed signs of interest and Ranma took it as his cue.  
"Thanks, we'd like that. We really appreciate it,"  
"Aiya, house so big," Shampoo was in awe as Mrs. Hyusa drove up the driveway to the mansion that was Mrs. Hyusa's place.  
After they had left the hospital, the three of them had taken a taxi to Ranma's street to pick up Mrs. Hyusa's car to drive back to her place. Oddly enough, Ranma and Mrs. Hyusa had made a big fuss about who should pay for the taxi. "I'm a guy," Ranma had told her, "Therefore, I'm expected to pay for the taxi fare,"  
"Do you have any idea who you're talking to?" Mrs. Hyusa smirked, "I'm more than capable of paying for the taxi fare,"  
"It don't matter," Ranma said, "You're a girl," "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, wondering if she should be getting angry. She had a funny feeling Ranma was going to say something really sexist. Although she had been around him fairly often him, his tactlessness was still something she wasn't all that used to.  
"What do you think?" Ranma said, "You're a girl. I'm a guy. Therefore, I should pay for the fare. It's kinda like how it's expected that girls are to cook the meals, guys are expected to pay for things like taxi fares and dinner and meals and such,"  
Mrs. Hyusa's jaw dropped from shock of just how blunt Ranma could be. That was hands down the most sexist comment she had ever heard. It was so sexist that it went beyond offensive and actually crossed over to humorous. It was rather funny how someone could possibly say something so sexist with a straight face.  
Realizing she didn't want to argue against Ranma, she just sighed in resignation, "All right, go ahead and pay,"  
"Aiya, Shampoo like it when Ranma pay for things," Shampoo smiled happily.  
Mrs. Hyusa pinched the bridge of her nose, "Shampoo, do you realize what you're saying is basically working against equal rights, something we women worked hard in achieving?"  
Shampoo looked at Mrs. Hyusa, confused. Coming from an Amazon village, Shampoo was unfamiliar with equal rights. "Forget it," Mrs. Hyusa said, not wanting to argue.  
Now that they were at Mrs. Hyusa's place, Shampoo had a look of awe on her face.  
"House so big," Shampoo said, "Hyusa-san is rich?"  
"Um, more or less," she said with a slight smile. Sure, she was obscenely wealthy, but that didn't mean she was any different from anyone else. Ranma placed an arm around Mrs. Hyusa, chuckling, "Wow, if we get married, does that mean you'll take care of me financially?"  
Mrs. Hyusa blushed as she quickly scooted out from under Ranma's arm, "I'm a married woman, Ranma,"  
"That'd be awesome," Ranma grinned, "I'd hang around the house and do nothing. I'd walk around naked under a robe and every here and there, I'll flash you to show you what your money is earning you, if y'know what I mean,"  
"Ranma, I'm a married woman!" she said again, blushing even more, trying to force that licentious image out of her mind that Ranma had planted.  
"Ranma, pervert," Shampoo glared at Ranma.  
"Relax," Ranma smiled, "I'm only joking around. I happen to be in a good mood. Even though today turned out to be really bad, everything turned out okay, more or less. And besides, I wouldn't say anything, Shampoo. You sure didn't complain or turn your head around when I didn't realize I was naked,"  
"Aiya, S-Shampoo no pervert!" Shampoo blushed.  
"What was that?" Mrs. Hyusa asked. She could had sword Ranma had forgotten he was naked before?  
Ranma shrugged, "After I defeated Saffron, all my clothes got burnt off from the flames. I was all right but my clothes weren't. Let's just say that I didn't realize I was naked until after I got back to the group standing outside my house that had been watching everything happen. I betcha you would've liked what you saw,"  
Mrs. Hyusa cleared her throat, "Ranma, I think it's about time I lay everything on the table and let you know about my feelings,"  
Ranma didn't like the sound of that. Wasn't that what most of the girls back home did when they told them they were in love with him.  
"Y-you're a married woman," Ranma said, taking a nervous step back.  
"That I am," she said, "A happily married woman. That's why I want to let you know about my feelings. I like you, Ranma. You're a really good person. But nothing will ever come between us. I love my husband. I know you have a crush on me and all and I'm flattered, really, but you need to understand that I love someone already and that we can never have a relationship,"  
"Huh?" Ranma was not expecting to hear that, "Come again? I have a crush on you?"  
"Yes," she said, blushing slightly, "And like I said, I'm really flattered, but you have to get over that crush and move on,"  
Shampoo's jaw dropped. She had no idea Ranma was in love with Mrs. Hyusa. Sure, they got along but she was around twice Ranma's age. After a second, she recalled what he had said when he was giving his life story. If his story was true, then he wasn't young at all and was an adult just like Mrs. Hyusa.  
"Wow, I have a crush on you?" Ranma pointed to himself, "That's news to me,"  
"Wait, you don't have a crush on me?" she asked.  
"Why would I have a crush on you?" he asked, "I like you and all but only I see you as a good friend,"  
Mrs. Hyusa was silent for a moment, "Oh my, it seems like I now have egg all over my face," It was a saying that usually referred to a situation of extreme awkwardness for one person. A good usage for that would be if someone said 'I love you' for the very first time to a special someone and that someone didn't say those words in reply.  
Ranma chuckled, "Don't worry. It's all a misunderstanding. I guess it's my fault anyway. Because of the way I act, it's pretty easy to mistaken me as having a crush,"  
Mrs. Hyusa felt very awkward, that is, until Ranma slapped her on her backside, causing her to yelp, her sense of awkwardness replaced with surprise.  
"Ranma!" she shouted at him, embarrassed.  
In her company, if some guy did that to any female employee, a form of sexual harassment, he would be fired right on the spot. What kind of person was she, the president of said company, if she let someone get away with doing it on her?  
"I'm sure if we met under different circumstances, things would've been different," Ranma laughed, "You're a terrific girl and I'm sure you would've caught my attention had I been a normal person instead of what I am now,"  
Mrs. Hyusa said nothing for a long while. Ranma was so capricious that she found herself unable to figure him out. It was an intriguing aspect of him she had to admit. However, a person used to having everything orderly, Ranma was chaos in her life, constantly keeping her on her toes.  
Mrs. Hyusa cleared her throat, "Okay, Um, well, since it seems like that conversation was moot, I guess it's best that we dismiss it,"  
Ranma smiled, "Okay. I'm glad we got this cleared up. It made us aware that I like you. You like me. But there's nothing more beyond that,"  
"Right," she said, "I couldn't have put it any better than that,"  
"What about your daughter?" Ranma asked, "I got the notion that she kinda has crush on me and all,"  
"About that," she said, "I guess I should clear things up. I was kind of hoping you and my daughter got along together. That's actually the main reason why I offered you to stay at my place when you needed a place to stay. I was hoping you met my daughter and hit it off,"  
"Huh?" he asked, surprised to hear that.  
Mrs. Hyusa smiled slightly, "Keep in mind I am a mother. Taking classes with you made me realize that you and my daughter would be a good pair. Um, I was kind of trying to play matchmaker,"  
"You mean you thought that by having me staying at your place, your daughter and I would meet, and you hoped that perhaps that encounter my blossom into something?" Ranma asked, "Wow, I'm an observant fellow, but never had that occurred to me,"  
Mrs. Hyusa said, "Well, being a shred business woman, I guess I'm good at hiding my ulterior motives. It helped me develop a business into what it is today. But alas, never had I suspected of all of this about you. All I knew was that I found you a very nice 'boy' with a strong sense of character and figured someone like you would be good for my daughter. I had hoped that you and her would get along after you've met,"  
Ranma smiled warmly, "That's awfully nice of you, to do that. However, dontcha think it's your daughter's decision on who she should get together with? I know you mean well and have the best intentions, but you should just let your daughter's life work out for her on her own,"  
Mrs. Hyusa nodded, "I know. Man, this feels weird. I'm the one being lectured here,"  
"Hey," Ranma grinned, "In case you haven't noticed, I may look young, but I'm actually older than you. Think of it more along the lines of someone like a grandfather giving you a lecture. Actually, considering my age, more along the lines of great-grandfather or great-great-grandfather,"  
"You have a point," Mrs. Hyusa laughed.  
Shampoo let out a noise to let both of them know that she was still there and listening.  
"Don't worry," Ranma said, "I didn't forget about you,"  
Mrs. Hyusa smiled, "Come on, let's head in,"  
Together, the three of them went into the house.

new stuff 12/15

"Ranma," Shori was surprised to see him as he and her mom and Shampoo entered the house, "Um, what brings you here?"  
She had been downstairs in the livingroom sitting around a large coffee table studying for an upcoming test tomorrow with her two friends, Reia and Akemi. She blushed as she suddenly realized she and her friends were in their pajamas. Akemi and Reia were going to sleep over as the three of them studied into the night.  
"Hey, girls," Ranma smiled, "I'm here because, well, my house got destroyed,"  
"Destroyed?" Akemi, the most outspoken of the three, asked first, "What happened?"  
"It's a long story," Ranma said, glancing down toward the textbooks laid out in front of the table they were sitting around, "It seems like you're busy studying for some kinda test or such so I don't wanna bother you,"  
Shori said, "No, it's fine. We've actually been studying for a while,"  
Mrs. Hyusa was impressed, "Wow, you girls were studying when I left. You've been studying all this time?"  
Shori nodded. She nervously asked, "Um, so how was the party?" Her mother had asked if she wanted to come along, to perhaps see Ranma again, but she had to decline. She needed to study for an upcoming test. She had really wanted to go but knew she couldn't. Besides, Akemi and Reia and her needed to study.  
Ranma looked back and forth between Shori and her mother.  
"There basically was no party," Ranma said, "The party ended before it even started. Before everyone even showed up and I was able to turn on any music, something bad happened,"  
He noticed the girls regarding the pretty girl standing next to him.  
"This is Shampoo, a friend of mine," Ranma gestured, "Shampoo, this is Shori, Akemi, and Reia,"  
The three girls got up and bowed politely as Shampoo did so in return.  
Mrs. Hyusa interrupted, "Look, it's best that I show Shampoo the guestroom. It's been a rather long day for me and I'm pretty tired,"  
Ranma smirked, "Heh, you think you had a long day?"  
Mrs. Hyusa blushed, embarrassed. Considering what Ranma had gone through, her day had been a walk in the park. All she did was go to work, take class at the dojo, and then go to a party that had ended and hung around with Ranma and Shampoo for the rest of the evening. Ranma had fought a god. Her day paled in comparison.  
Shampoo cast Ranma a glace. He made a motion toward her to go on and follow Mrs. Hyusa, that he will be following before long, after he was done chatting with the three girls.  
He watched as Mrs. Hyusa and Shampoo went upstairs before turning to the girls.  
"Is, um, is she your girlfriend?" Shori asked, "She's really pretty,"  
"No, she's not my girlfriend," Ranma shook his head, "She's just a friend,"  
"What's this thing I hear about something bad happening?" Akemi asked, "Considering how laid-back you seem to act, for you to say something like that, it must be something we would consider really bad, relatively speaking,"  
Ranma shrugged, "Well, I think it's best that I not talk to you about it since you girls should be studying. Besides, I told Shori's mom about it and she can relay the story to you," "C'mon, tell us," Reia said curiously, "Now we're all curious about what had happened,"  
Ranma thought about it for a moment before he finally gave in.  
"I fought 'a god' today," he began, "My house had gotten destroyed during the fight,"  
"What?" all three girls said.  
Ranma smirked. How come he wasn't surprised that they wouldn't believe him?

Ranma knocked on the guestroom to Shampoo's room sometime around one in the morning, around an hour after Mrs. Hyusa had offered to show Shampoo her room. After she had been showed her room, she had stayed there.  
Ranma had spent the better part of an hour explaining an abridged version of his life while all three girls listened intently. After he was done, he excused himself so he could go get some sleep, wanting to leave the girls time alone to drink everything in as well as study.  
"Um, come in," he heard Shampoo's voice.  
Ranma opened the door, leaning against the doorjamb, "Yo. I just came around to say goodbye. There's also some things I figure I should letcha know,"  
Shampoo asked, "What is it?"  
"I'm leaving tonight," he stated, "The more that I think about it, the more it seems like I should've left a while ago. I've told everyone about who I am and where I come from. It's up to them on whether or not they should believe me. Because I have told everyone everything about myself, all that's left for me to do is head back home,"  
"R-Ranma leaving?" Shampoo's eyes widened, "But Shampoo thought Ranma stay around longer,"  
Ranma nodded, "Yeah, I was, but I've been giving it some thought. I really think it's best that I get going as soon as possible. It's best that I make my way north as soon as possible,"  
"North?" she asked.  
"Yeah, up North, the Hida Mountains," Ranma added, "That's where Happousai's cave is. You remember what I said about him earlier? He's the one that has the nanban mirror that can get me home. He's not supposed to show up around here for a while which is why I'm gonna go to him,"  
Shampoo said, "By why so soon? Shampoo thought Ranma stay longer, at least a week or so,"  
"Because, if I left now, I won't hafta worry about people trying to convince met to stay longer," he shrugged, "I'm my own person and I'm gonna make my own decisions. I don't need to deal with people thinking they can make my decisions for me,"  
Shampoo gave a sad look before she looked down toward the floor, "So, there no way Shampoo can convince Ranma to stay? Shampoo no want Ranma to leave,"  
Ranma shook his head, "Nope. I've made my decision. And no, there is nothing you can do that'll change my mind. And no, don't even consider suggesting that you tag along with me. You're staying here, where you can have Mrs. Hyusa get you a job working as a waitress so you can take care of yourself,"  
"Shampoo no want Ranma to leave," Shampoo said loudly, tears threatening to flow, "Shampoo...Shampoo hurt herself if Ranma leave. If Ranma stay, Shampoo no hurt herself,"  
Ranma turned around, angry, "Goodbye, Shampoo,"  
"Wait!" Shampoo said, running up and hugging Ranma from behind, "Please, don't go. Shampoo lying. Shampoo just want Ranma to stay...that because Shampoo love Ranma,"  
Ranma turned around in her embraced and placed his hands on her shoulders, "I'm flattered you have such strong feelings for me, but I'm sorry, I'm not staying. I've made a lot of friends here and I'm gonna miss everyone. However, as much as it's gonna hurt to not see anyone again, I'm still moving on with my life. I don't belong here and I'm gonna go home. I'm sorry,"  
Shampoo started crying, "Shampoo no want to see Ranma go,"  
"Take care, Shampoo," she said.  
With a quick press of Shampoo's sleep pressure points, Ranma caught Shampoo as she slumped forward into his arms unconscious. With not effort, he lifted her up in her arm and walked her over to her bed and gently placed her down in it, taking care to cover her up well under the bed sheets.  
He bent down and gave Shampoo a gentle kiss on her forehead.  
"Goodbye," Ranma said warmly.  
Casting her one last glance, he headed out of the room, shutting the light as he left.  
Once out in the hallway, he found himself looking toward Mrs. Hyusa as she stood by the stairs. She had been standing there all that time, overhearing the conversation. Ranma had told her of his plan to leave and she had wanted to get in some last few words.  
"Well, I guess I'm gonna get going now," Ranma said, giving her a sad smile.  
"What about your father and your friends and such?" she asked, "Do they know that you're leaving?"  
Ranma shook his head, "No. They won't know until I'm already gone. I'm gonna send a letter to my old man explaining that I've left and how I don't belong here on this world. It'll basically my way of saying goodbye to them and that I'll be fine. By the time they get it, I'll have already gone back to my own world,"  
"They'll think you've gone missing," she stated.  
"It can't be helped," he said, "However, they'll only be worrying for a couple of days until the letter arrives,"  
"What's going to happen with the dojo?" she asked, "With you not teaching, I doubt many of your students will continue to attend class with you no longer there. You're what made going to class fun,"  
Ranma said, "After this, I kinda wonder if anyone will come back. Afterall, if you really think about it, after listening to me tell a tall tale about how I've been to multiple worlds and such, people are more likely to believe that I'm some kinda crackpot over actually believing in what I said,"  
Mrs. Hyusa said nothing, feeling guilty that she felt she was one of them, still having trouble believing all that Ranma had said. Heck, Ranma had commented that he had become God at one point in life. How the heck can someone possibly believe in a comment like that? The thought that being trained in martial arts by a previous God was definitely something people would have problems swallowing.  
"If the students really enjoy martial arts, then they'll continue to go to the dojo," Ranma said with a warm smile. He tapped at the side of his head, "Also, I'm not so stupid that I would go out asking people to join the dojo if I didn't think they would leave after I left. For instance, I know you will continue to attend even after I'm gone,"  
Mrs. Hyusa smiled slightly but said nothing.  
"I've always known that I would be leaving," he said, "That is why I choose the people who I believed would not let something like my leaving deter them from continuing martial arts. All I did was made them realize how much they enjoyed martial arts,"  
Mrs. Hyusa felt great admiration toward Ranma, "You must have very strong willpower to be able to do this, to make so many friends, knowing that you would have to leave and never come back,"  
Ranma was silent for a short moment.  
"I've done it before," he said, "It really hurts, but I'll live. I hafta,"  
"Is that why you moved out of the house?" she asked, "Because you found yourself growing attached to everyone and knew that it would make it all the harder to leave when the time came? You wanted to separate yourself from everyone?"  
Ranma's silence spoke volumes. Mrs. Hyusa hit it right on the mark.  
Mrs. Hyusa watched as Ranma walked over to the window at the end of the hallway and opened it. He planned on making his departure via the window. He didn't want to go out through the front door because he would have to say goodbye to Shori and the others. He hated goodbyes and wanted to avoid them if need be.  
"I'm gonna get going now," Ranma said after a while, giving her a sad smile, "It's been nice knowing you. I'm really glad I met you. Please, take care of Shampoo and help her find a good job so she can support herself,"  
"I will," Mrs. Hyusa said confidently.  
Ranma stepped forward and gave Mrs. Hyusa a warm embrace. Her body stiffened instinctively but gradually relaxed as she returned the embrace.  
"Take care, Ranma," she said warmly, "I wish you well,"  
Their embrace was broken when a shocked voice came echoing down the hallway, "What's going on here? What are you doing with my wife?"  
Ranma looked over toward the voice and saw Mrs. Hyusa's husband. He had woken up to go down to the kitchen to get a late night snack when he exited the bedroom and out into the hallway and saw his wife and Ranma in what seemed like a lover's embrace.  
"Honey, it's not what you think!" Mrs. Hyusa said, blushing in embarrassment.  
Ranma threw his hands up in the air in exasperation.  
"Aw, damn, a perfectly dramatic goodbye scene...ruined,"

Ranma found himself looking up toward a large mountain before him. The mountain was covered with a thick blanket of trees.  
It was the middle of the day. Two days had passed since Ranma had left the Hyusa mansion. It had taken him that long to get there by foot. He could had gotten there much earlier if he simply ran the whole way there but he didn't. He wanted to take his time, choosing to walk so he could take in the sights of this world that used to be his past one last time before heading back to his own world.  
Because he walked most of the way, it gave Ranma a lot of time to think to himself. There were many questions he wanted to ask that no one could really answer.  
He was in the boy of a sixteen year old. Would he retain his body after going back home? What would happen to the Ranma of this world? Would the Genma of this world really have to live with the loss of a son? If the young man that was supposed to be in this world had been replaced by Ranma, then Genma's son was as good as dead.  
Ranma figured that the best way to solve that situation was to have this world's Ranma put back at the moment the older Ranma left this world. Sure, he would not know what had happened and had last several weeks of his life, but he would be living a good life from then on, not the life he was destined to, a life where he would eventually lose his friends and family in the Nerima Massacre.  
Everyone that he told about himself to, the people that didn't believe his story, will go on thinking that him and that Ranma are the same person. All the people that do believe his story will realize that the Ranma they knew had finally gone home and been replaced by the Ranma intended for this world.  
Glancing toward the mountain before him, Ranma felt a bit sad that he had reached the mountain where Happousai was located. It meant the end of his journey, the end of his brief adventure on this world.  
Ranma knew where Happousai's cave was. This was because he had found out of the location from Genma and Soun. While the both of them had forgotten on a conscious level, Ranma was able to dig up the location from their subconscious level. A simple glance in their eyes had revealed what he needed to know. He had actually found out about Happousai's location from Genma on the very first day he arrived on this world. It was confirmed when he looked at Soun on the very day he first arrived at the Tendo home.  
Knowing that his journey was nearing and end, Ranma smiled sadly to himself and headed straight toward the mountain and proceeded to make his way up its gradually increasing slope.  
"Home, here I come,"  
Ranma made it to the top of mountain where Happousai's 'tomb' was located. It didn't really take long, only a couple of hours. Climbing up a mountain was pretty annoying because he couldn't fly.  
"I'll be sure to ask Ryoga to show me how to fly using ki," Ranma told himself, "I've relied on wings for so long that now that I never bothered to learn without 'em,"  
He paused for a moment.  
"Hm, maybe I should pay Herb a visit," Ranma said to himself with a grin, "Since he knows how to fly using ki, I'm sure I can learn from him. Since he doesn't know me, that means there's no reason for him to have anything against me,"  
He scratched his chin.  
"Then again, there's no real reason Herb would wanna teach me to begin with," Ranma thought.  
He continued to stander there, wondering which was better, to go ask Herb to show him how to fly or go ask Ryoga to show him how to fly. If he thought about it, Ryoga and he didn't really get along so there was all the more reason for Ryoga to want to teach him.  
Several minutes passed as Ranma contemplated this.  
He then suddenly laughed. Why was he contemplating this in the first place? He never cared to fly when he was capable of flying so why should he care now now that he couldn't fly? He didn't need something like flying to get him places. He had two perfectly good legs.  
Look up the side of the mountain, he noticed a large boulder that was obviously blocking an entranceway to a cave. He knew that that was the boulder that his old man and Soun had pushed to cover the cave entrance after having tied up Happousai and thrown him in there. Not only was the boulder in the exact location as Soun and Genma subconsciously remembered, but it also had wards placed all over it to prevent Happousai from getting out.  
Making his way over to the boulder, Ranma took a glance at the wards. Before he let Happousai out and asked him 'very nicely' where the nanban mirror was, Ranma was curious as to exactly how Happousai could have gotten past those wards.  
A quick glance at the wards made Ranma realize it.  
"Oh my god!" Ranma laughed, "He got out because the ward is all but worn out!"  
Had Soun and Genma not been so cheap and had bought the wards from a Shinto shrine like most people, Happousai would never enter their lives. Because they were so cheap, they opted to make their own wards, wards that was susceptible to wear from weather and time.  
"My old man and Soun are morons," Ranma said, slapping his forehead, "I can't believe something like Happousai showing up was all due to the fact that they wanted to save a few yen on wards. How freaking asinine can things possibly get?"  
He decided he didn't want to answer that. Afterall, he ended up engaged to a girl because his father sold him in exchange for a piece of fish and a pickle.  
Ranma pinched the bridge of his nose, "My childhood was soooo messed up,"  
After a minute of feeling sorry for himself, Ranma composed himself and took on a serious face. It was time to free Happousai and find out the whereabouts of the nanban mirror so he could get home.  
Extended a hand toward the boulder, Ranma grinned as he shot a ki-blast at the boulder. The ki-blast erupted from his hand and exploded against the boulder, destroying it, shattering it into thousands of pieces, taking a portion of the cave entrance along with it.  
Ranma waited for the smoke to clear, ready for anything. If he saw any shadow shoot out from the opening, he would chase after it, knowing that it was Happousai. Although Ranma was pretty sure Happousai would be disoriented or perhaps knocked out, he wanted to be ready for anything. After around five minutes had passed, Ranma realized that Happousai was not going anywhere. He made his way up to the cave opening and peered in gingerly. When he noticed Happousai lying unconscious near the back of the cave, he smirked. Walking up to him to get a closer look, he noticed that Happousai had been sleeping, not knocked out. It made Ranma realize that he was far enough back in the cave that the explosion didn't get to him.  
Ranma pinched his nose as he smelled a strong smell of alcohol.  
"Get the hell outta here," Ranma said to himself. He remembered Genma and Soun had managed to trick Happousai into drinking himself into oblivion before chucking him into the cave and sealing it up. A thought had crossed Ranma's mind that Happousai had been in an alcoholic sleep all those years. Happousai groaned as he slowly tried to sit upright, feeling a massive headache. What he was actually feeling was the most massive hangover in his life. Afterall, he had drank enough alcohol that he had to sleep for many many years for his body to filter out all that alcohol he had had.  
"Wake up, sleepyhead," Ranma smirked. He couldn't help but feel a bit sympathetic toward Happousai. The old lech must have a splitting headache.  
"Where's the nanban mirror?" Ranma said, feeling he should at least ask. Perhaps he didn't need to probe into Happousai's mind for the answers. Afterall, Happousai had no idea who the man standing before him was.  
"Who are you?" Happousai asked, rubbing his temples, feeling sick.  
"If you tell me where the nanban mirror is, I'll leave you alone," Ranma said diplomatically. He believe that Happousai most likely felt so hung over right now that he just wanted to be left alone. Of course, Ranma had no intention of doing that. He had every intention of burying him deep underground and sealing him in again, this time sealing him in the proper way after he had extracted the information he needed.  
Happousai was an evil that should never be let loose on the world, ever. Heck, if Ranma thought about it, he probably wouldn't have any qualms about killing the old lech if need be. There was nothing good about Happousai's character. Nothing. Afterall, he really was better off dead.  
Happousai, not knowing who Ranma was and not really caring, wanted to be left alone. He laid back down on his side and closed his eyes.  
"Hey!" Ranma said loudly, "Didja hear what I just said?"  
"Lemme alone," Happousai groaned, "I have a headache,"  
"I'll leave you alone if you tell me where the nanban mirror is," Ranma stated.  
Wanting Ranma to leave him alone, Happousai said, "It's in my bag,"  
He made a sweeping motion with his arm around the cave.  
Ranma looked around the cave and saw nothing. All he saw was pieces of the destroyed shoulder when it exploded lining the floor of the cave. There were some pieces of fabrics and such about but Ranma ignored it.  
"I don't see no bag," Ranma said, annoyed, "Where's your bag?"  
Happousai snapped instantly awake at the thought that his bag was missing, "My silky treasures!"  
Watching Happousai looking around the cave, Ranma realized that Happousai had no idea where he was.  
"Where am I?" he asked to no one in particular.  
"Where's your bag?" Ranma asked.  
"That's what I'm trying to find out!" Happousai said, on his feet, wide awake and seemingly no longer hungover, "What have you done with it? Give me back my bag!"  
Ranma said, "I dunno what the hell you're talking about. What makes you think I took your bag?"  
Happousai lunged toward Ranma, "Give my bag back!"  
Ranma caught Happousai in mid-flight by the neck. The old lech yelped out in surprise as he found himself hard of breathing.  
"I didn't take your bag," Ranma said coldly, "Where's this bag of yours? If it has the nanban mirror, then I want it,"  
"How would I know when you took my bag!" Happousai shouted. He produced a smoking pipe from his pocket and hooked it around the wrist of Ranma's extended arm. Ranma grabbed the smoke pipe before Happousai could do anything and yanked it out of his hands.  
"Nice try," Ranma smirked, "I'm so easy an opponent that you can dispatch with something like a smoke pipe,"  
"Who are you?" Happousai asked, regarding Ranma as he held him.  
Ranma, not wanting to bother answering trivial questions of Happousai's leaned forward and looked deeply into Happousai's eyes, intent on reading his mind and extracting the information he needed.  
After a second, Ranma found himself a bit confused. The last memory of Happousai was of him drinking with a young Soun and Genma. The location of the bag had been right next to him as he drank. The nanban mirror had been in the bag at that time.  
Something didn't make sense. Where the heck was the bag? How come Happousai didn't know where it was?  
Ranma caught a reflection out of the corner of his eyes. Turning his gaze toward the reflection, he looked at it. It looked like it was some kind of shard. He had caught the light that reflected off it from the afternoon sun filtering into the cave via the opening.  
Walking over to it, he bent down and picked the shard up. He noticed it had a reflective surface.  
Ranma's eyes widened as he realized something. Looking down by his feet, he noticed bits of fabric all over the place. Picking a piece up, he noticed the fabric felt like cotton in his hands.  
"Oh no," Ranma said, dropping Happousai, too caught up in the moment of feeling sorry for himself.  
He had just found out where the bag containing the nanban mirror was. It had been in the cave along with Happousai. Unfortunately, the bag and its contents were no more, Ranma having destroyed it when he stupidly used a ki-blast to blow up the boulder.  
Ranma pinched the bridge of his nose.  
It seemed like Soun and Genma, after having managed to trick Happousai into drinking himself unconscious, had thrown the bag into the bag along with Happousai. That was the reason why Happousai didn't know where the bag was, because his last memory was of him next to the bag drinking while Genma and Soun watched him nervously.  
"Oh my god! My silky treasures!" came Happousai's voice. It seemed like Happousai had realized that his bag and all the contents it contained had been destroyed but didn't exactly know how.  
"You must have done it!" Happousai shouted at Ranma, lunging toward him.  
Ranma swatted Happousai out of the way without even looking with his free hand as he used his other hand to pinch at the bridge of his nose.  
Happousai ended up flying bodily into the back of the cave where he slammed again a rocky wall and fell down to the ground unconscious, no match for someone like Ranma.  
Ranma looked down at all those tiny shards lining the floor of the cave. He had the biggest headache as he realized the predicament he was in, "I can't believe it, I had accidentally destroyed the nanban mirror,"  
He threw his hands up in the air, "This sucks!"  
Ranma started pacing back and forth inside cave. He wasn't all that bothered at the thought that Happousai might wake up and try and attack him again. Considering how skill Ranma was, Happousai posed no threat whatsoever.  
"How the hell am I gonna be able to get home now?" he asked himself, "The freaking mirror's in a million pieces,"  
He continued to pace for several minutes, trying to brainstorm, trying to think of a way of getting the mirror fixed. Could there be someone on this world that could fix the mirror? Afterall, the mirror exists on this world so someone must had made it.  
But then again, if he thought about it, the mirror was many generations old. Whoever made the mirror was long dead. Heck, there was no telling the mirror was made my someone. Perhaps it was created by God himself before the role of God was passed on to someone else.  
After around an hour of pacing, Happousai woke back up.  
When Happousai noticed Ranma seemed very distracted, busy talking to himself and brainstorming about something, he decided to seize the opportunity and lunged at Ranma with every intent to hurt him.  
Ranma didn't even bother looking or slowing down in his pacing as he swatted Happousai out of the way, hitting him against the wall, knocking him unconscious once again, "I'll deal with you later. I'm gonna end up sealing you up in a concrete box and burying you a mile underground. Let's see you get outta that,"  
Upon saying the word 'box', Ranma suddenly had an epiphany. "Holy shit! Why didn't I think of that before?" Ranma said in complete elation, "I can go to Joketsuzoku and pick up that box that teleported me over to the world where I met Misato, Ritsuko, Asuka, Rei, and Shinji! I was teleported there by that mysterious by I found when I was passing through Joketsuzoku after everyone believed Ryoga and Akane and I died preventing Genom Tower from collapsing. I can pick up the nanban mirror in that world to send me back home!"  
Ranma walked over to where Happousai lay unconscious and picked him up. He needed to seal the old lech away before he headed off on his new adventure. As Ranma left the cave, he smiled at the adventure yet to come.  
After a moment, he laughed. It seemed like his plan on going home will be put on hold for a little bit longer. Since he couldn't go home via the nanban mirror of this world, he needed to go to the world of Evangelions and Angels to retrieve the nanban mirror there to get home.  
Ranma smirked at the thought of what was in store for him in the world where he would be going to next. He wondered what it would be like meeting Misato, Rei, Asuka, Ritsuko, and Shinji all over again. He wondered what he would say to Gendo if Gendo gave him a hard time. Ranma glanced down at the unconscious Happousai in his hand. He would take care of the old lech shortly and get rid of him so that he will never bother anyone on this world again. It would not be a hard task to do.  
Afterall, Happousai was a trivial matter to someone like Ranma.  
Ranma smiled happily, eager about what was to come.  
"Heh, 'World of Angels and Evangelions'...here I come,"

The end


End file.
